The Skywalker Saga Part 1: Rising Order
by FlashFire705
Summary: After Kylo Ren attacks the Jedi Luke Skywalker disappears, it's now up to his son Cade to rise and challenge the First Order and its dark acolytes, the Knights of Ren. But does Cade have the strength to face his cousin, to fight his own family? Darkness rises and Light to meet it, the Skywalker Saga begins again.
1. Prologue: The Rise of Kylo Ren

31 ABY

Location: Outer Rim

Planet: Ossus

Cade Skywalker"s POV

The sound of birds chirping filled Cade's hut as the sun slowly rose. Cade watched the sunrise from his bed, blanket wrapped around him as he lay. He smiled, happy that another day had started. He tossed off his blanket, grabbed his lightsaber, and rushed out of his hut into the damp forests of Ossus. Cade took a deep breath, letting the cool air run before he began to descend from his hut to a camp located below.

Cade walked on a trail towards the camp, dirt crunched beneath Cade's feet, disturbing the otherwise quiet world around him. Cade always loved walking down the mountain during sunrise, the silence from everything except his feet was reassuring and calming. Mist rolled throughout the mountain, blocking Cade's view of the tall pine trees that swarmed around him. But Cade didn't mind, it just made the grass shimmer with morning light and added a layer of mystery to the mountain that lets his imagination run wild.

He strolled into camp, finding it entirely abandoned. Cade smiled, another thing he loved about early mornings: there was no one else around. Except for one person. Cade made his way to the center of the camp, where a massive tent was located. He pushed aside the main entrance to the tent and walked in, stomach growling as he did so. The tent's interior was empty and silent.

However, Cade spotted a lone man sitting at a table with a tray of food before him. The man gestured in the direction of a mobile stove holding a large pot over an open flame; the lid on top of the pot was ajar and steam dispersed through the air. Cade could only guess at how long the man and been in the tent, but knowing the man, it was probably safe to assume all night. Cade walked over to the stove, grabbing a tray along the way, and serving himself some soup. He then grabbed a piece of bread before he turned around and sat in front of the man.

"Ben..." Cade began to say but stopped himself.

He could see that Ben Solo was brooding as he usually was. For as long as Cade has known Ben, he's been distant. He just didn't seem to be present, like he had bigger problems to think about. Ben did have "friends" he was just distracted from everything. Ben silently stirred his soup, Cade could sense that he was troubled but Ben wouldn't talk about it to him. He probably wouldn't even talk to his parents because their relationship was…...strained to say the least.

"So how does this work, you talk first I talk first." Cade said.

Ben picked a bag off of the floor and handed it over to Cade. Ben gestured for Cade to open the bag, so he complied. Cade found three books stacked on top of each other, he gently pulled them out one by one. Actual books were hard to come by, holobooks had long replaced the physical version. So to come by a real book was a miracle, let alone three. Cade treated the ones in front of him like they were eggs, easy to drop and break.

Cade gasped, the three books laid out in front of him were history books: A Study of Galactic Warfare Pre-Ruusan Reformation by Voren Na'al, A Brief History of the Church of Force by Lor San Tekka, and The Ancient Precursors of the Infinite Empire by Chelli Lona Aphra. Books so rare that none of them had been translated onto the Holonet.

"H-How did you get these?" Cade gently placed his hands on each book.

Ben grimaced, "Mom, she still has connections among the elite and "culture". I told her you were a history nerd and she got those, mind you these aren't the originals but I'd say a copy is the next best thing."

"You're damn right it is. I've always wanted to know what happened to the commanders in the Army of Light after the Seventh Battle of Ruusan. And the Church of the Force, historians have been so focused on the Jedi and Sith that they've neglected other practitioners of the Force. There's so much we don't know about the Church; Has it been around as long as the Jedi? Do they have holy sites like Jedha or are they like a nomadic movement that never stays in the same place? I'm dying to know what their stance is on the Mortis Gods….." Cade blushed and looked away, "and I'm rambling again, aren't I?"

"You are, but it's nice. It's adorable." Ben said.

"Okay, mister I'm going to geek out over hyperdrives, I'm the adorable one." Cade responded.

Ben mockingly gasped and said in overtly dramatic fashion, "How dare you, hyperdrives are useful, unlike history."

Cade raised an eyebrow, then fished out a carrot from his soup and flicked it onto Ben's face. The carrot smacked him in the forehead and stuck there. For a minute there was silence, then a chuckle Cade couldn't hold it in anymore and burst into laughter, falling onto the floor and crying.

"I-I-I didn't know hahaha that it would stick like that hahaha." Cade got off the floor and wiped the tears from his eyes.

Ben picked the carrot off of his face and ate it, "Thanks for the carrot."

"No problem, anything to help out a cousin." Cade could see that Ben was smiling, genuinely smiling. Cade could on one hand how many times he's seen Ben smile for real, and each time it lit up his world to see Ben like that.

But then he dropped the smile and went back to picking at his soup. Cade sat down again, troubled by Ben's sudden change in mood.

"Don't tell me, Dad. He did something."

"Your father is a complicated man." Ben looked up to stare directly into Cade's eyes. "You shouldn't resent him as much as you do. At least he's there for you."

Cade felt his insides freeze like he was falling off a high cliff. The one thing that Cade was certain he could always sense from Ben was his feelings towards his father, Han. Every time he would reach out to Ben the first thing Cade felt was the complex nature of both love and resentment towards Uncle Han. Cade knew only rumors of Ben's relationship with his parents, and no one else was willing to talk about it so rumors were the only thing Cade had. To hear Ben even remotely talk about Uncle Han made Cade nervous.

"I..." Cade began to say.

"Eat," Ben ordered. "Then we train."

Ben grabbed his food tray and took it outside the tent, leaving Cade to finish his food in silence. Cade quickly put his tray away once he was done eating, pushing the earlier conversation out of his mind. Ben was going through a phase that would pass, after all, someone as powerful as Ben, couldn't be wrong.

Cade rushed out of the tent, invigorated by his breakfast and the promise of training with Ben. Cade then left the camp, following a small trail that led further down towards an abandoned quarry. Cade could hear the sounds of rocks crumbling beneath enormous pressure, shattering and crashing down. Ben had already started training and Cade began to sprint, he didn't want to miss a moment of Ben.

Cade found Ben in the lowest pit of the quarry, crushing massive boulders with ease. Cade stood there in awe, Ben was effortlessly doing something that other Jedi students strained under, Cade included. Cade continued to stare at Ben with reverence, not unlike a child watching their hero triumph over great evil. He began to step towards Ben, careful to not interrupt his cousin.

"Can you walk a little faster, we don't have all day." Ben gently placed the boulders back on the ground, turning to face Cade.

"Didn't want to disturb you, you're vendetta against rocks seems pretty important." Cade said, stepping into the pit.

"They killed my best friend's cousin's sister's daughter's pet, I'll never forgive them." Ben waited, but Cade didn't respond, "No, didn't land at all?"

"Yeah, but I appreciated the effort." Cade said.

Ben looked away from Cade, flushing a little.

"A-Anyways, this whole training session is for your benefit, not mine." Ben said.

Ben gestured for Cade to step forward and stand in front of him. Cade complied, knowing what Ben wanted. Cade closed his eyes and stretched out his hand, feeling the Force gather around his fingertips.

"Now, concentrate. Feel the Force all around you, guiding you, changing you, empowering you."

Cade felt a pull inside of him, like a river crashing against a dam. He used the Force to reach out to one of the boulders; it was as if the Force were vines reaching out to do what Cade wanted. It was as if a golden fire was wrapped around Cade, both burning him and fueling him at the same time. Sweat formed on Cade's face as he felt the Force connect with the boulder, beginning to lift it. Cade's breathing became strained and his hands were trembling. Ben noticed this and placed a hand on Cade's shoulder.

"The Force is power, but don't let it overwhelm you. Control it, direct it."

Cade felt the dam in his mind strain under the pressure of the river. He imagined himself overlooking the river and the dam, noticing cracks forming in both. He jumped into the river, fire rolling over every nerve in his body. He was coming apart, washing away in the river. Cade poured in all of himself, his memories into an orb within himself. He knew that in the real world that Ben was watching him, feeling what was happening within. Cade allowed his inner self to melt away, leaving only the orb.

His thoughts drifted to Ben, how he was strong in the Force and how effortless his skills were. His orb began to form a new body, created to be stronger than ever. With Ben by his side, he could face any challenge and overcome them. He could become just as strong as Ben. That was his spark, that determination to be as strong as Ben. Cade gathered all his strength and he broke the dam inside of him, he felt a rush of freedom.

Suddenly, the strain was gone. The boulder bobbed in the air, Cade's hands no longer trembled, he was calm and collected for the first time since he started. Cade felt a wide grin on his face, joyous laughter escaped him as he saw what he was doing.

"Remember this feeling, what we've done here. Whenever you face a challenge you think is impossible, just remember what you accomplished today," Ben said.

"You make it sound so final," Cade said, gently placing the boulder back on the ground.

"Maybe it is..." Ben trailed off.

"Maybe?" Cade said in response.

"Nevermind, let's just head back to camp."

Ben began climbing out the quarry, leaving Cade confused, brimming with questions. Cade shook that off, after all, this is Ben. He's got some problems but at the end of the day, he would bounce back. Cade and Ben made their way back to the main camp, silence between them the entire time. When they got back to camp Ben spoke.

"You should get some sleep."

"You're one to talk, I'll sleep as soon as you do," Cade replied.

"Just listen to me, your dad, my uncle, already knows about our extra training sessions and disapproves of it. He'll kill me if he found out that you're losing sleep because of it."

Cade knew what he was talking about, they were on a training retreat after all. His father had decided to take some of his top students to the planet of Ossus as a way of enhancing their abilities through training and meditation, he had hoped that by being on a planet once sacred to the Jedi that the Force would be enhanced in his students. His thought process was that if they were to spend time on a site holy to the Jedi then their connection to the Force would deepen.

So he left an interim Jedi Council to look after the rest of the Order while he took his son, nephew and a handful of students to Ossus. So far Cade couldn't see any progress in training, but maybe he just wasn't seeing the whole picture. In any event, the retreat was coming to a close and Cade was looking forward to showing his father the progress he had made under Ben's teaching.

"Alright, but only because you're telling me to. Who knows, maybe when I wake up I can convince Dad to make you my master."

At this, Ben smiled, then without a word, turned around and made his way through the main camp. Cade went back up the mountain to his hut, feeling happier than he had ever been. When he got to his hut he wrapped around his blanket and immediately fell asleep. Cade felt something within him stir as if it was waking up. Then…...

Cade stood in a dark corridor, unable to see anything except himself. Then a red glow filled the corridor, along with the screaming of countless people. The corridor became snow and ice which then crumbled beneath his feet. Cade fell into sand, being crushed and dragged into it before a girl and stormtrooper grabbed his hand and flew into the stars. The stars then started disappearing in brilliant bursts of light until Cade returned to the dark corridor. He heard the hiss of a lightsaber, turning around to see a red lightsaber with a cross and a stone statue holding the saber.

The visions ended and Cade shot up, breathing heavily and crying. Cade felt overwhelmed and cold as if he was just cut off from the Force. He threw off his blanket and ran out of his hut. It was pouring. He was soaked. It was strange since it hadn't rained at all since the Jedi arrived on the planet but now, Ossus was raining.

Cade heard an explosion in the distance, he turned and saw the main camp engulfed in flames. Cade rushed down the mountain, panic engulfing his every action as he got closer and closer to the main camp. As he neared the camp he saw a group of cloaked figures standing in front of the fire. Their lightsabers were ignited and they were all surrounding a terrified woman.

Cade recognized the woman as Jaden Mor, a fellow Jedi Padawan from Corellia. Then one of the figures stepped forward and plunged their lightsaber into Jaden's heart. She fell to the ground dead and Cade let out a scream. The figures turned towards Cade and Cade felt anger rise within him.

"I'm going to kill you all!" he yelled.

The figures did not seem to be disturbed by Cade's threat. Jaden's killer stepped past the rest of their group and faced Cade.

"We can't let him live. He'll never join us now and Snoke has ordered that anyone who doesn't join us dies." The lead figure said.

"Then kill him already and let's get going," one of the other figures said.

The lead figure stepped forward, his blue lightsaber glowing menacingly in the rain-filled night. Cade ignited his green lightsaber and took an offensive stance before he suddenly sent a Force push at the lead figure. The lead figure stretched out his hand to block the attack, but he still stumbled back and his hood flew back to reveal the face of Ben Solo.

"Ben?!" Cade turned toward the other figures, "That must mean you guys are other Padawans."

"Not anymore," one of them said, "We've been shown a better power than the light side and the Jedi."

Cade couldn't believe what he was seeing, his friends and family were killing innocent people. Cade stumbled backward, he didn't want it to be true, yet the proof lay all around Cade. Cade's world was crumbling around him, and he couldn't process any of it. Then a horrible thought crossed his mind.

"And my name is no longer Ben, it's Kylo Ren!" Ben raised his lightsaber once more.

"Where's my dad, what happened to him?" Cade asked, worried that he already knew the answer.

"Dead, I killed him," Kylo said.

Cade let the words sink in, grief and anger rising to meet Kylo's. He knew his father would disapprove of that, he would say those are the emotions of the Dark Side. But at that moment, Cade didn't care, all he wanted was to strike down the person who was causing so much suffering.

"Then I will avenge him!" Cade charged at Kylo, screaming and preparing to slash his fallen cousin.

Kylo held out his hand and extended the Force around Cade's throat, cocking him and raising him into the air. Cade's lightsaber dropped out of his hand while he started grabbing his throat as if to try and pry whatever was choking him. Kylo then raised his lightsaber and pulled Cade towards him, impaling his cousin with a thickening screech from the lightsaber. Kylo turned off his lightsaber but kept Cade hanging in the air.

"You were never a match for me." Kylo lifted Cade and slammed him into the ground.

"Let's go."

Kylo turned around and marched through the burning ruins of the camp, along with his fellow murderers. Cade felt his body going numb. He knew that there was a good chance he would die then, but he wouldn't let that happen.

Before he drifted off into the darkness Cade grabbed his lightsaber and made a vow. To be stronger than Ben, than Vader. And with that in mind, Cade pushed himself off the ground and stared at the burning camp.


	2. Chapter 1: Welcome to Hosnian Prime

**Chapter 1: Welcome to Hosnian Prime**

34 ABY

Location: Core Worlds

World: Hosnian Prime

City: Republic City

POVs: Leia Organa, Amilyn Holdo

What struck Leia about Hosnian Prime was how different it was from all the other city planets. Coruscant, Nar Shaddaa, and Anaxes were entirely covered in cities but Hosnian Prime was not. Their culture was fanatically dedicated to balance, to equilibrium. They even have a holiday celebrating the eclipse called Equinox Day. Exactly half of the planet was covered in cities and waterways while the other half was covered by wildlands and forests.

Up in outer space Leia could see the distinct line separating nature from city while waiting to land the Millenium Falcon. She needed permission to land at the spaceport in Republic City, something that was taking hours to get. Normally Leia wouldn't be anywhere near the New Republic's capital but circumstances forced her to be here. Too much was at stake for her to just let her past keep her from doing her duty, even if it did trudge up some old memories Leia would like to forget.

_"Senator Leia Organa Solo is the daughter of Darth Vader!"_

_The Senate erupted into anger, insults were thrown at her. Colleagues she once trusted were now calling for her to resign, sidelining her from the political system she helped set up. A mob throwing rotten food onto her and her staff as she left the Senate building. One last look at Hosnian Prime as her ship left the system._

_It wasn't even the worst thing to happen to her, just one week later Leia found herself in a hospital on an Outer Rim world_

_"We recommend that we keep up his antibiotic treatment for a few more days, but his infection is gone. And the stitches can be removed soon as well, but we'll need to keep him under observation to see the tissue around the wound is healing."_

_Leia saw her nephew lying unconscious in a hospital bed, his eyes were open but there was no life to them. Cade just looked at her with haunted eyes and a ghost-like body._

_She found herself in a hospital lounge alone, screaming and crying. She punched a window, which cracked under the weight of her fist._

_"Princess…."_

_"Han…"_

Leia pulled herself out of her daze she found herself falling into, yawning.

"Status?" She asked through another yawn.

Chewie answered with a soft roar from the pilot seat. Three more hours… to get someone on the comms. Leia held back another yawn, she didn't think she could last another three hours let alone three minutes. She looked around the cockpit and found the other occupants in a similar state as her. Chewie was scratching the console in an attempt to keep himself awake, Lieutenant Kaydel Connix was slumped over in a chair sleeping and Commander Larma D'Acy was reading a report on First Order activity but her eyes were drooping.

"I'm going to get us all some hot caf." Leia got out of the co-pilot chair, startling everyone except Connix who kept sleeping.

"General Organa, there's no need for that. You get yourself caf and don't worry about the rest of us." D'Acy responded.

"Nonsense, you'll need your strength and I take care of my troops," Leia said.

D'Acy didn't put up a fight after that, only nodded reluctantly and went back to reading her report. Leia left the Falcon's cockpit and into the main area of the ship, finding other members of the Resistance lounging about. Some were asleep and others were playing Pazaak, it took a minute for anyone to notice that their general was watching them now. Major Caluan Ematt scrambled out of his gambling into a salute position.

"Attention, General on deck!"

All hell broke loose: bottles went flying, cards shoved off tables and clothes were shifted in an attempt to appear proper. In other circumstances, Leia would have died from laughter, but for now, she would settle for a smirk.

"At ease," she told them.

A group of officers all stood in a neat and orderly line in front of the Dejarik table, but Leia heard the sound of credits getting shoved somewhere and the roars of the hologram creatures. Leia stared down her officers, eyebrow raised.

"I am very disappointed in you guys, I have never seen such incompetence before. Everyone knows the Rancor maneuver won't work unless you get rid of the Hutt. Next time I see you guys that better be fixed," Leia shook her head in mock disappointment before walking past them and into the kitchen.

Leia walked over to the kitchen and fished out a packet of Caf powder and placed it into a machine that started pouring a hot dark liquid into a pot.

Out of the corner of her eye, Leia spotted Captain Idrosen Gawat and Sergeant Rose Tico standing at a console, both staring at the caf pot like their life depended on it.

Leia walked over to the two Resistance officers, "Pot's all yours once I'm done."

Rose let out a squeak. Her eyes widened and she turned around and ran deeper into the ship. Leia just smiled and sat down next to Gawat: the old Rebel veteran at the console.

"To be young again," Gawat sat back down.

"Says you, I'm still young," Leia responded.

"If you're still young, then I'm Plo Koon."

"As your superior officer, I could order you to agree with me."

"Technically the Resistance isn't a military organization, so your orders carry very little weight militarily speaking."

"And yet your still here."

"..."

"..."

"...Yeah, I got nothing."

"Hm, don't mess with me, I sparred with the best." Leia smiled as she said this.

Gawat nodded, "Those were the good old days when we were the hotshots leading the charge against tyranny. Now it's all about Poe Dameron and Tallie Lintra.

"If you think you don't look old, you certainly sound old."

"Point taken."

"Always nice talking with you Idrosen."

A faint static started emanating from Gawat's console, slowly growing louder. Then a faint voice replaced the static until they became as clear the static before. Finally, a hologram flickered on, projecting a news report from a studio on Hosnian Prime.

"Guess Rose got the Holonet Receiver working again," Gawat commented.

Leia didn't hear Gawat's words, instead, focusing on the news….

_A male chagrian with short horns protruding from his head, purple skin and a pure white suit, sat on the right side of the project. On his left sat a female Pau'an, dressed in an orange gown and a digitally altered face that lessened the gray of her skin and brightened the red paint around her eyes. They both look ecstatic as if this was the most excitement they had in a long time._

_"To recap for our viewers just joining, this is HoloNet News' Galactic Observation. The show where we watch what's happening in the Galactic Senate and see how it affects the New Republic as a whole. I'm Ratha Doolga," said the pau'an._

Leia was all too familiar with Galactic Observation, and how it operates. Her hands clenched into fists at the recollection of how they ran wall to wall coverage of what they called the Imperial Princess Scandal, the revelation of her heritage. How they portrayed her as the reason for all of the Rebel's failures, how she was a warmonger, and how she might have been scheming to recreate the Empire. And that all came at a time when Cade, her nephew, lay in a hospital bed traumatized beyond belief. And when Ben became…..no, was killed by Kylo Ren.

_"And I'm Premin Forst, the top story coming out the Galactic Senate is the Demilitarization Act. Now to avoid confusion with our viewers, we're going to briefly recap the context of this historic piece of legislation currently being debated." The chagrian pointed to a graphic of the Senate._

_"The bill originated from Senator Nors Kana of Lothal, a Populist senator admired across the Outer Rim. The Senator has gone on record multiple times stating that she drew the details of her bill from the framework of Chancellor Mon Mothma's Military Disarmament Act. This was one of the first acts the Senate debated on but the Act failed to pass and, until recently, no attempt was made at reducing the New Republic military," Ratha said._

Leia recalled the name Nors Kana, she saw the name once on the list of new Junior Senators she had read a couple of days before her forced retirement from the Senate. Leia never met Kana, but she did hear rumors that she was firmly for decentralizing the Republic and greater autonomy for individual systems. In a way, Kana was like Leia a long time ago: idealistic to a passionate degree.

However, Leia did know that the Senator was now trying to reduce the military, much in the same way Mon Mothma did all those years ago. Leia could still vividly recall the night Mon Mothma announced the bill to the Senate, their heated fight afterward, and the irrevocable damage it did to the two friends.

Mon Mothma believed that democracy and freedom would ensure the continued existence of the Republic, her greatest fear being a repeat of the Empire. Leia didn't believe that, couldn't believe that, not after watching her home burn in front of her. Leia gathered enough votes to defeat Mothma's bill, and that was supposed to be the end of that. Now Senator Kana was trying to complete Mon Mothma's work, only now it's even more naive and at a worse time than before.

_"When asked why now she was proposing the reduction of our military Senator Kana replied that it this stable era that the Republic was in, it made no sense to maintain a military of our current size. She went on to say that the resources freed up by a military reduction would be diverted towards local planetary defense forces and recovery programs targeted towards worlds still suffering from the aftermath of Imperial rule," Premin said._

On one hand, Leia could see where all these worlds were coming from. The Empire left a deep scar, entire systems traumatized at the thought of anything remotely related to the Empire. And they were still recovering from such a brutal reign, perhaps some will never truly recover.

No one can look at a devastated world and see how much the Republic spends on its military and think it's fair. Leia understood all that, she just wished this all came at a different time. If only the galaxy could see the things that she had and understand the fight that was going to come.

_"This aspect of the bill is particularly popular among the Outer Rim worlds such as Ryloth, who faced a brutal occupation and has yet to fully recover. Despite its popularity in the Outer Rim, the Core Worlds and Mid Rim strongly oppose the bill. In a surprise twist, both corporations and governments are in agreement with their opposition, claiming that the economic fallout will be devastating and that the Military Reduction Act does not do enough to protect from the fallout. Senator Em Valorum leads the opposition in the Senate but was unable to appear on the show. We were, however, able to get an interview with Linden Bolore and Zento Kran, the Presidents of the Corellian Engineering Corporation and Incom-FreiTek respectively," Ratha said._

_The projection then flickered over to a penthouse in Republic City, Ratha sat across from a human, Linden Bolore, and a Sullustan, Zento Kran._

_This caught Leia's attention, the Presidents of two corporations critical to the Republic military live on the Holonet. Despite their prominence, neither of them gave out any interviews, ever. Leia leaned closer to the projection…..._

_"Thank you both for joining me in this interview," Ratha said._

_"Thank you for inviting us," Linden said._

_"Yes, it is an honor to be on such an iconic show," Zento said._

_"Now, there are a lot of questions surrounding your opposition bill but let's start with the obvious one. Is your opposition based on the fact that both of you practically own monopolies on ship production of the Navy, therefore giving both of you financial incentive to see this bill defeated?" Ratha asked._

_"Yes it's true, there is a financial factor involved in our opposition, after all, Corellian Engineering produces all of the capital ships for the Navy while Incom produces all starfighter designs operated by the New Republic but that's not what's concerning me, what's concerning me is the workers that would lose their jobs. A Nadiri Starhawk Battleship requires 11,000 workers to make, a Virgilia-class Bunkerbuster needs 6,000 workers, A Nebula Star-Destroyer has a minimum of 25,000 workers building it, an Endurance-class troop carrier needs at least 27,000 workers, support ships like the Thranta corvette, Nebulon-C Frigate, Pelta-class Frigate, Vakbeor-class Frigate and a CR-95 Corvette all have 15,000 workers on them each. And thanks to our new partnership with the Mon Calamari Shipyards, we're able to produce the MC90 Star-Cruiser, revive the MC75 as a warship and design a new battleship we're calling the Valor-class. So no, it's not just about me, it's about all our workers who pour their lives into these ships," Linden explained, wiping some sweat off his forehead._

Leia watched Linden with a hawk-like focus: noticing twitches in his face, his eyes wouldn't meet anyone in the room, and his voice sounded jumbled and fast. He explained his points with facts, but he rushed through them like he was a womp rat high on drugs. He was hiding something, and he wasn't doing a good job of concealing it.

But what's he hiding, and why agree to an interview if you were a known recluse and were hiding something? This wasn't adding up at all.

_"Yes, we treat our starfighters as art pieces. Even though we acquired the A-Wing, B-Wing, Y-Wing and K-Wing designs through legally questionable means that we resolved through a lawsuit, let's move on from that. Anyways let's focus on the workers, or artists as I like to call them…...wait, what was I talking about." Zenot looked around the studio in complete bewilderment._

_"Didn't know this was an interrogation, maybe I should have gone into the police," Ratha murmured._

_The projection flickered back to the main studio with Ratha and Premin, both sipping something out a mug. It took them a minute but they realized they were back on the air, spitting out their drinks._

_"I'm going to kill the Producer after this," Premin said._

_"You and me both," Ratha responded._

_"And here comes my seamless transition. The Military Reduction Act couldn't have come at a more complicated time, with Liberation Day just weeks away. Liberation Day marks the foundation of the New Republic and the Battle of Endor so people from all across the galaxy will be going to Hosnian Prime to celebrate the rebirth of freedom. The Senate has scheduled the last debate on the bill to be before Liberation Day, which they will then vote on before enjoying the celebrations. Now as to why Senator Kana chose this date for the debate on her bill we have several experts ready to answer…" Premin trailed off as the projection flickered to a panel of people arguing._

Leia switched off the holoprojector, rolling her eyes. The only interesting that occurred during that broadcast was that interview, and even that was only interesting because of Linden. Zento was more of a figurehead for Incom, who always followed Corellian Engineering's lead in whatever venture they chose. But Linden was hiding something, Leia just didn't know what.

Was he being paid by the First Order? The Republic Navy only made up 10% of his profits which isn't that big of a motivator to come out of recluse. Did he want to keep the First Order payments coming, or was he a sympathizer who would sabotage the Navy on the command of his masters?

Too many questions and so little answers. Either way, Corellian Engineering was too critical to the Republic to overlook Linden's behavior.

"Show was boring anyway," Gawat said.

"Maybe, but the interview was a highlight. And that Linden, he's hiding something. We need to know what it is and if he's allied with the First Order. Get Intelligence on it now," Leia ordered.

"As you command, General," Gawat returned to his console and began to contact Resistance intelligence.

"I'm checking our cargo, call me when the pot's ready." Leia walked towards the cargo hold.

She found a group of guards at the entrance to the hold, with a man off to the side staring down into a shaft of wires and metal tubes.

"Lieutenant Joph Seastriker, I assume you have a good reason for not being at your post," Leia said.

"Very good General, I'm listening to Rose ramble on how she embarrassed herself in front of you," he responded, still looking down the shaft.

"Alright, what's she's saying?" Leia approached the shaft.

"Have a listen."

Leia leaned a little closer and heard the unmistakable voice of Rose Tico.

"I can't believe I squealed like a hog in front of the General. I'm going to get drummed out of the Resistance, marked as a war criminal and remembered in history as the girl who humiliated herself in front of the greatest leader of all time. I should just resign, admit to being a coward who's better at machines than people," Rose said.

"You're fixing the Falcon, that's something," Joph said.

"Yeah, and she's a beauty and I love working on her. I'll miss this if I go."

"Rose, I trust you. If I didn't, I wouldn't be letting you work on a ship that's practically family. You have potential, you just need to go on a journey just like everyone else." Leia said.

Rose let out a scream, followed by a crash.

"I'm okay!" Rose yelled.

Leia tugged Joph away from the shaft and towards the cargo hold.

"Onto a more serious subject, how's are cargo doing?" Leia asked.

"The usual, but the guards are gathering fuel and I think they're about to burn the hold down," Joph responded.

"As much as I want to say let them, we need what's in that hold. It's irrefutable evidence that the First Order is violating New Republic law. We just need to wait a few more hours and we'll be done." Leia said.

"I'll pass the word along, ma'am." Joph gestured for some guards to gather around him.

Leia made her way back to the kitchen and found Idrosen drinking a cup of caf and a half-empty pot. Idorsen got a little sheepish, avoiding Leia's gaze.

"I figured one cup wouldn't hurt anyone, but the others saw the pot and then it became more than one cup and well..you get the picture."

Leia just grabbed a tray, some mugs, filled them up and took them towards the cockpit, but she did stop and say, "We'll discuss your war crimes later."

Gawat let out a short burst of laughter, "If you say so, General. But if I am charged with a crime, then who's going to tell you what Intelligence just dug up."

Leia stopped and turned around, "Are you just going to have me guess? I haven't had my cup of caf yet so I'm not in the mood for games."

"Alright, alright, have to take the fun out of everything. Our spies say that Linden's sister-in-law has recently disappeared from her office on Corellia and hasn't been seen since. No missing person's report, just a large withdrawal from her bank account and a transport manifest that has her going to the planet of Cerea. We'll have more in a day or two," Gawat handed Leia the report their spies sent in.

"Curiouser and curiouser," Leia pocket the report and continued into the cockpit.

Leia walked into the cockpit to find Chewie growling, Larma was just staring blankly off into space, and Kaydel was having a heated conversation with the operator on the other end.

"I'm telling you we did have a reservation but you guys took too long to get to us. Just give us another space." Kaydel said.

"I'm sorry, but our policy during the weeks leading up to Liberation Day is that ships have to reserve their hangar bay or we won't be able to land you."

"That's what I'm trying to tell you here, we did everything that was required and the only reason we were late was because of you guys. And we've been here for 20 hours so if you don't give us a hangar bay I'm going to crawl through this com and strangle you."

"Lady, you're the 100th person who's said that to me today."

Leia placed the tray down and pulled out her personnel com.

"Put me through to Admiral Holdo."

* * *

Amilyn Holdo stood on the bridge of her MC90 Star Cruiser, the Profundity, and watched the Seventh Fleet move about its business. She was at Hosnian Prime under the direct orders of the Chancellor for a Naval Review. At least, that was the public reason. She watched some new capital ships burst into her fleet, the new pride of the Republic Navy. She ordered to take one of these new ships as her flagship, but she rejected the order, she preferred the MC90.

Holdo was familiar with its capabilities which means Holdo knew the ship's limitations in combat and could plan accordingly. And, if she was being honest, she felt a little nostalgic for her days in the Rebellion when Mon Cala ships were the backbone of the Alliance.

Her aide, Korr Sella, approached the Admiral hesitantly. Korr Sella was a recent addition to Holdo's command staff and had yet to learn that the Admiral liked to play fast and loose with certain regulations.

"Yes?" She asked.

"There's an urgent message on your private coms. The sender is under your classified contacts," Korr said.

Holdo stretched out her hand and Korr placed a com unit in it. Holdo placed the unit into her ear and listened to the message.

"Amilyn, this is Leia. Ordinarily, I wouldn't contact you unless it was necessary, and this falls under that category. I've got proof of the First Order but we're having trouble with ground control. I don't like asking this, but can you use your clout to get us a hangar bay."

Holdo looked up the operator that Leia was currently talking to and opened a private line with them.

"Hello Operator, this is the Senate Office of Air Control, and we're receiving multiple complaints from your ship that's been waiting over twenty hours."

"Ma'am, they don't have a reservation." The operator responded.

"Of course they have a reservation, not only am I looking at it right now but I just spent the last 15 minutes listening to a Wookie scream into my ear. Is your Holonet link broken still, because I've got a list of similar complaints dating back the last year and half. Where is all of your funding going if not to fix these types of problems, or are you all just irresponsible that you waste government money."

"Ma'am…."

"Unless you fix this problem right now I'm pushing up your audit, and the preview looks to be very scathing. In fact, give me your name right now so I can fire you."

"Apologize ma'am, we're understaffed here at the moment but we'll correct this error. Everything else is fine here."

"Better be, don't let this happen again."

Holdo pulled out her com unit and smiled.

"Good to hear from you too, old friend."

* * *

"I...uh….I…..have a bay open on our second level, east section. Welcome to Port Hope, Hosnian Prime."

"That will do," Kaydel looked over to Leia.

"I still have friends in high places," Leia responded.

The Falcon touched down onto it's designated landing pad, lowering its ramp and letting it's tired crew off.

"Now I know everyone is tired, so am I, but we still have a job to do. Lieutenant Seastriker and his team will accompany me and the package to its destination, everyone else don't wander too far. This is not a social visit, so come back here before dark," Leia ordered.

Leia and her team went deeper into the spaceport, concealing their weapons inside their boots or sleeves. In the midst of them was a cloaked figure, face obscured by darkness. They walked down various hallways, past kiosks and stores for corporations like Weyland-Yutani or Slayn & Korpil. Finally, they arrived at a cantina located somewhere in the lower levels of the spaceport. Rather than go through the main entrance, Leia led the group around to the back, knocking on a hatch.

The hatch opened and a droid's arm reached out and gestured for them to come through. Leia stepped through, followed by the figure that Leia grabbed the minute they were through, then the rest of the team stepped through.

"Leia, it's been too long."

"Hello, Maz, sorry it had to be under these circumstances," Leia said to a small orange alien sitting on a crate.

"That's what worries me, whenever a Skywalker needs help it means the galaxy is about to face a great threat," Maz said.

Leia chuckled, "And I know you'll always help out."

"Yes, yes, now what have you brought to me?" Maz approached the figure.

Leia pulled back the hood to reveal a female Aqualish, "This is Protectorate Gleb, former Imperial military instructor and leader of the Amaxine Warriors, a group of military extremists loyal to the First Order. We've removed them from play, now all we need to do is have you get Gleb into Republic custody and have her testify before the Senate. Then we'll have the First Order right where we'll want them."

"I'll do what I can, but if the Senate will believe what Gleb says is another story. They haven't believed you so far." Maz countered.

"I have to hope, Maz, that things will change. We've never had evidence like this, I'll have a chance to plead my case in front of the Senate and with Gleb here we might have a chance."

* * *

Amilyn Holdo walked out onto the private garden of the Supreme Chancellor, located high in the skyline of Republic City. She saw him looking down at a datapad and surrounded by a team of guards. Amilyn approached but was stopped by the guards.

"It's all right, she's an old friend. Dismissed," he said, and the guards left the garden and Holdo alone.

"Ransolm Casterfo, since when did you get so high and mighty?" Holdo asked, sitting next to him.

"Since winning the most powerful office in the Republic, how have you been Amilyn?" He said.

"Well enough, I just came to tell you Leia's here."

"I know, Republic Intelligence just got her little gift and is interrogating her right now."

"I just hope it's enough, unofficially the Resistance is a black-ops division of the Republic Military but the public doesn't know that. If they knew Leia had gotten your permission and funding to gather evidence on the First Order it would not just be the end of your career but all of us would wind up in jail. Let's just hope this pans out," Holdo said.

"It won't, I know the Senate better than anyone. Their delusional people who will never see the First Order as a threat, not until it's too late. Leia will fail."


	3. Chapter 2: Blue Squadron

**34 ABY**

**Location: Core Worlds**

**World: Hosnian Prime**

**City: Republic City**

**POV: Amilyn Holdo**

Holdo gripped the rail of the garden like her life depended on it, looking out onto the vibrant city below her. The Chancellor's residence was not the highest point in Republic City, the penthouse having long been eclipsed by the Senate building, but it did offer a spectacular view of the skyline. Holdo took a deep breath and opened her eyes, letting the colorful show of speeders and vehicles calm her.

"I don't understand, why wouldn't they believe her? She has refutable evidence through Gleb!"

Chancellor Ransolm Casterfo sat on his marble bench, drawing some pattern along the stone with his finger. His eyes flicked up to meet Holdo's, before focusing back on his pattern.

"Casterfo, I swear to every god across the galaxy if you don't give me an answer in the next ten seconds I will slap you," Holdo gritted through her teeth.

"Figured I'd give you some time to cool down, you got pretty angry after what I said." Casterfo continued to trace his symbol.

"I am Admiral in the New Republic Navy, there are few things that can get under my skin."

"But this is one of them."

Holdo let out a sigh. "But this is one of them. Seeing how this Republic treated her, after she sacrificed so much building it, to see Leia treated like that it just gets my blood boiling. And for her to continue defending the Republic, for her to have so much hope and duty that she continues to defend the people who called her a monster, I don't know how she does it. Especially after what happened to Han."

"I know, she deserves better. The universe should give her better, but it doesn't."

Holdo recalled her daughters, her smart Luna, and sweet Zoe. Fond memories of Luna staying up at night studying to earn her medical license, of Zoe's celebration party before she left for college on Chandrila. Pride rose up within her, followed by a wave of anxiety.

Holdo drew in a deep breath. "There's more, why my reaction is so extreme. I have two daughters. And as a parent, I have to do everything to protect my children. To see other people treat something as serious as the First Order with apathy or carelessness, we're gambling with our children's lives here!"

"I get all that, but I don't think I need to explain why people are so hesitant. Countless worlds, mine included, are traumatized by Imperial rule and the Galactic Civil War. There's an aversion to taking any steps towards war and anything resembling the Empire. People have to be certain about the threat of the First Order, otherwise, they'll do nothing. And since Leia's the messenger, it won't work." Casterfo briefly paused in his tracing before continuing with it.

"Because of her heritage," Holdo supplied.

"Yes, because of Vader," Casterfo agreed. "It's like I said, a revulsion towards anything Imperial related and who was their main enforcer. It's not her fault, but Vader was the face of many of the Empire's crimes. The Senate will ignore her evidence based on her parentage; they'll say she fabricated everything in the hopes of starting a needless war to satisfy her bloodlust that she inherited from her father. And since the Resistance is not listed as an official agency under Intelligence or the military, the Senate considers them hot-blooded youngsters who want the glory of war but don't know the horrors of conflict."

"We're screwed, that's what you're getting at?" Holdo sat down next to Casterfo, after he finished his tracing.

He cupped his hands together and muttered something. "Of course not, the same reasons people won't believe in the threat of the First Order are the same reasons they'll rally to the Republic. Leia and the Resistance.

"And how do you know that?"

"The pattern I've been tracing, it's an old tradition my people used to do. Before the Empire. You trace a constellation witnessed at your birth and it's supposed to bring you good luck. I don't believe in that sort of thing, but something tells me we're going to need all the luck we can get real soon." Casterfo looked up to the expansive stars that stretched across the sky of Hosnian Prime.

* * *

**Location: Unknown Regions**

**Ship: MC80, Echo of Hope**

**POV: Cade Skywalker**

Cade gasped as he awoke, his body covered in a thin layer of sweat. He pushed himself out of his bed, pain flaring from the wound he received three years ago. He leaned up against a metal wall, allowing the pain to subside. Cade took a minute to observe his bunkmates that shared the barracks, they all remained sleeping. The pilots of Blue Squadron continued to toss and turn but were otherwise peaceful. Cade changed out of his soaked clothes, grabbed a bag, and headed down to the showers.

The cold water ran down Cade's body, soothing it from the nightmare it just experienced. Cade finished his shower and changed into fresh clothes, sitting in the locker room for a few minutes.

"Ben…."

The thought of Ben jolted Cade back to reality, leaving the locker room and dropping off his stuff back at the barracks for Blue Squadron. He made his way to the cafeteria, running into no one along the way as it's still the graveyard shift and the Echo was only being operated by a skeleton crew at the moment. Cade found only one chef on duty and ordered some scrambled eggs and toast. He grabbed his food, a hot cup of caf and sat down at an empty table.

Until Marin Rist came along.

"Well, well, well." Marin sat down in front of Cade with his tray.

"That's a lot of wells," Cade said, after munching on some toast.

Marin pulled out a knife and started twirling it around his fingers, eyeing it up. He then grabbed the knife and thrust it down into the table, wedging the knife inside the metal top. Marin wiggled it out and inspected the knife, it didn't have a single scratch or dent on it. Satisfied with the results, Marin placed back into whatever hiding spot he had it in before.

"You are so weird," Cade said, now digging into his eggs.

"Says the guy whose up during the graveyard shift, now who's weird?"

"Still you, you're up to during the graveyard as well."

"At least I don't have nightmares involving Ben."

Cade felt his heart skip a beat, stopping mid-bite with his eggs. "How do you know that name?"

"You talk in your sleep." Marin took a sip of tea out his mug.

"You watched me in my sleep?!" Cade almost dropped his fork at Marin's reply.

"Don't be ridiculous ...I watch everyone in their sleep."

"What?!" This time Cade did drop his fork, sending bits of egg flying everywhere.

"Just kidding, the captain had a message for you and I decided to drop it off in your barracks. Found you sleeping and mumbling," Marin said, picking pieces of egg off his shirt.

"And you're my only friend on this ship," Cade grumbled, going back to eating his eggs.

"That says more about you than it does about me."

Cade was about to retort when alarms began to go off all around the ship, causing him and Marin to jump off their seats. Marin's face changed from a playful smirk to a harden scowl, all warmth leaving his eyes.

"Attention all personnel, report to your stations. This is a Level One situation, I repeat, a Level One situation. All pilots, report to the main briefing room!"

Marin ran over to the drink counter and grabbed a bottle of caf, tossing it over to Cade.

"Thanks," Cade said as he caught the bottle.

"Good luck," Marin responded before he ran out of the cafeteria.

Cade followed suit, running back to Blue Squadron's barracks. He eventually arrived at the barracks, having to move and shift through the crowds that now clogged the hallways. He found his squadmates putting on the final pieces to their flight suit, all eyes turned into Cade as he stepped in. Cade saw Blue Leader, Tallie Lintra stepping forward out of the group.

"Blue Five, Elihas Doral, get in your suit now. We'll wait," Tallie said.

There were a lot of unusual characters among Blue Squadron, so much so that it has a reputation of being the cantina in the Resistance Starfighter Corps. It wasn't that the squadron was filled with washouts or failures, just interesting characters. Compared to her subordinates, Tallie Lintra was normal. But she, like everyone else in the Squadron, had her quirks. Those, however, only came about when she was flying.

"Just go without me." Cade struggled into his flight, pulling and tugging on the various clothing and equipment needed.

"No, we're a squadron. Meaning if one of us is late, we're all late."

Tallie knew of Cade's early hours, of his nightmares and morning habits. She frequently voiced her concerns about Cade to him and the ship's captain, but as long as it didn't affect his performance or duties it was tolerated. Still, Cade found Tallie sending him worried glances now and then.

Cade jumped into his boots and bolted out of the barracks, joined by his squadmates moments later. They ran along narrow corridors that had steam leaking out or tubes hanging from the ceiling, and the rusted floor dented just a little under the weight of Blue Squadron's running. They finally arrived at the main briefing room to find that every other squadron was already present, all eyes turned onto them as they took their seats.

"Good, now that the latecomers are here I can begin our critical mission briefing that requires professionalism and perfect timing," Captain Juno Eclipse said.

Despite her high rank among the Resistance, Juno Eclipse was shrouded in mystery. Her service record was classified by both the Republic and the Resistance, and no one dared to ask her any questions. Cade could count on one hand the facts he knew about Captain Juno, and most of that came from an incident where Marin speculated about the captain, ranging from the plausible to ridiculous.

"I heard she was in love during the war, then the Empire killed her lover. Or maybe her career became stunted once Raddus and Ackbar came along. She was a founder of the Alliance Navy, couldn't have been nice to get sidelined. Oh, what if she became indoctrinated by the Force and Princess Leia. Now wouldn't that be scandalous if that was the truth?

Whatever the truth may be, she was here with the Resistance now. And that's all that matters.

"As you all know our mission is a broad one: gather information on First Order movements and military strength. Despite their elusiveness, we've been able to gather enough data that I'm confident our analysts can devise strategies and projections on how to beat the First Order. Despite this, there is one last survey I want to take before we return to friendly space," Captain Juno paused before continuing, "We've just arrived in a nebula that will mask our signal to any First Order vessel, but it also requires us to send out our fighters in order to gather data. Throughout our mission, we've been noticing irregularities with First Order shipments and materials. Thousands of tons of Durasteel and Hypermatter have gone through First Order territory, but we haven't seen any massive increases in their military. Based on the amount of material shipped and the nature of said shipments, we can only assume their building a superweapon."

Silence filled the briefing room, the older members knew of the dangers that Captain Juno spoke of. They saw the horrors that the Empire could inflict; the Death Stars, Weather disruption satellites for Operation Cinder, and the undead Project Blackwing. The younger members didn't understand the true danger of what was ahead, they only nodded and looked more determined to beat the First Order. Cade, however, was not among those who did not understand. He saw the horrors of what the First Order was building, he had seen it in a vision years ago. On that fateful day….when Kylo Ren was born ...when Snoke and the First Order….

"I don't want to cause a panic, but I also don't want to leave the Republic unprepared. Which is why we're doing this, getting that confirmation. The nebula is near a known First Order hyperlane that's been used by high ranking officers. We've determined that this lane is the likeliest to be used for a Kyber crystal, the last one needed if we're right. This is where you pilots come, we just need one of you to get within sensor range and scan the main cargo vessel. Kyber crystals have an unmistakable energy signature, we'll know if that's what's on the transport. Once the pilot has scanned the vessel, they'll immediately come back to the Echo. After that's done, we leave. I don't care if we leave anyone behind, all that matters is that data. We only get one shot at this, so don't blow it," Captain Juno finished.

Captain Juno made a motion with her hand, indicating the briefing was over. All the pilots began to filter out of the room, but Tallie led Cade and the other pilots of Blue Squadron off to a quiet corner.

Cade could see Tallie's eyes had that crazy glint in her eye, that one she gets when a mission is about the start and adrenaline is already in her system. She's excited, ready to explode, and she's about to drag Blue Squadron into whatever she had planned.

"Here's what's going to happen, Blue Squadron will be leading. Out front, the tip of the spear, the front lines. I'll take point, getting up close and personal with that First Order cargo ship and scanning it," Tallie said.

It wasn't that she was a glory hog, she was an adrenaline hog. Being the fighter that's scanning the ship leaves you vulnerable, open to attack. Cade and Blue Squadron had run this type of mission a thousand times before, you need your teammates to cover you otherwise you'll be dead. Hence why Tallie chose that position for herself, the uncertainty of it, the fear of the unknown. This gives her the thrills she wants-no-she needs. Cade could tell that it was at least half the reason Tallie signed up with the Resistance.

That crazy glint seemed to dim a little as she delve into her strategy as if something held the beast back within her.

"Cade, I need you to cover Agoyo. His shield generator hasn't been fully repaired, so you're going to have to work overtime."

"Got it," Cade responded.

Cade drifted out of the conversation, half-listening but still paying attention to the important details. What grabbed the other half was Marin leaning against the doorway to the briefing room with R2-D2 next to him.

Cade could still remember the odd looks as he brought R2 into the Resistance as, by that time, R2 astromech units were outdated and had been replaced with BB-units. Still, R2 could solve any problems faster than most droids, and humans for that matter, and had a sassy personality that Cade liked. And Cade had spent his entire life around R2, that droid had practically half-raised him. And when Cade was dying that night it was R2 who got help, who made sure that Cade lived to see another day. Cade loved R2, and would sooner cut off both his hands than see R2 sidelined.

Marin...well...was a bit more complicated, but he was still Cade's best friend. Even if they didn't act like it, he still enjoyed spending time with Marin. Cade still remembered vividly there encounter when he first joined the Resistance…..

_Someone was watching him, Cade could sense it. He would move onto one area, and that same feeling would return. At first Cade dismissed it was paranoia, but the more he focused on the feeling, the more clear it became that the Force was guiding him towards someone._

_There! Someone ducked into the hallway, the Force was telling him that it's the person he wants to meet. Cade reviewed the plans to the floor in his head, the hallway the person ducked into a supply closet. Cade smirked as he journeyed down the hallway, towards his now trapped prey._

_When he got into the closet he heard some boxes shift around, loudly._

_"Come out, I know you're there," Cade said towards a pile of boxes._

_A person crawled out of it, looking a little sheepish._

_"You're good, most people don't know I'm following them until it's too late. How did you know?" The person brushed off a little dust on them._

_"Let's call it a gut feeling. Why were you following me?" Cade asked, reaching for his blaster located in his back pocket._

_"First, let me introduce myself. Marin Rist, Resistance Intelligence." Marin bowed slightly before Cade as if addressing royalty._

_"Rist? Like the noble House of Rist, from Alderaan. Read about you guys, from your criminal roots to your service with House Ulgo during the Alderaan Civil War. Quite the colorful history you guys have." Cade recalled from one of the books he had back on Ossus._

_"Someone who pays attention in class, me like. Though I'm guessing that book you read that information is outdated, as you didn't mention New Alderaan at all," Marin said._

_"No, but the sequel does. House Rist helped Aun...Princess Leia rebuild a government on a colony world located in the Core, now named New Alderaan. And you still haven't answered my question." Cade shot back._

_"Oh right ...well as the top agent of Intelligence it's my job to vet recruits. You caught my attention because you have the third-highest flight scores out of anyone in the Resistance, behind Tallie Lintra and Poe Dameron. And your documents have several discrepancies, what's more, suspicious is that General Organa herself signed off on those documents. So while High Command may trust you, I don't. You're hiding something and I'm going to find out what it is." Marin stated._

_"Well I don't have any friends, so there's no way you're finding out my secret. Now leave me alone." Cade spun around and started walking away._

_"Wait!"_

_Cade turned around and saw Marin stepped forward hesitantly, and he wasn't looking at Cade. Instead, he was looking at every box around the room._

_"Maybe we could be friends, I don't have any either."_

_"I prefer to be alone."_

_"So do I, let's be alone together," Marin replied._

_Part of Cade wanted to say no, after everything that's happened. Cade did not want to step into any relationship, but there was something about Marin that stopped Cade. He couldn't quite name it but there was something that drew him in._

_"Alright." Cade stretched out his hand, which Marin took a moment later._

Cade brought himself back to the present, with Tallie finishing up her briefing. Cade excused himself from the rest of the group and walked over to Marin.

"Something wrong?" Cade asked.

"Nothing just wanted to get R2 down to you as soon as possible. I know you were late with the captain so I thought this could help save some time." Marin said, patting R2.

"Cade!" Tallie yelled, gesturing for Cade to follow her.

Cade high-fived Marin before he and R2 ran after Tallie.

Blue squadron rushed into their T-70 X-Wings, powering up their fighters and loading their astromechs in. Cade wiped off a bit of dirt he found on his seat before hopping in, seeing R2 linking up to the X-Wing's mainframe.

"You ready?" Cade asked, flipping on the ignition switch.

"Beep-Bop."

"Watch the language, buddy, kids are watching." Cade flew his X-Wing, along with the rest of Blue Squadron, out of the Echo's hangar bay.

A brilliant display of violent and clashing colors greeted Cade. No matter how much of the universe you see, there's always something more to the great mystery. This nebula was unlike anything Cade has ever seen, and it took several minutes for Cade to bring himself back to reality. He knew that there was a zero chance he would ever see this shedding light in the nebula ever again, he wanted to remember this moment. Frozen in a single instant, Cade had found something chaotic but peaceful, a small pocket of the galaxy untouched by conflict. Cade felt a pang of sadness about what was about to happen, but there was no stopping war. He was going to burn down the First Order.

To prevent any potential detection this early in the mission the Resistance pilots remained off their comlinks, but there was no need to communicate the sight before them. It was a small convoy by First Order standards, two Advance-Arquitens Class Light Cruisers in the front with a Gladiator Class Fighter Carrier bringing up the rear. And wedged between them was a small transport ship, you wouldn't think it was carrying something capable of destroying an entire planet but there it was.

A few more seconds and the First Order would detect them, Cade switched the X-Wing over from flight mode to weapons mode. He looked around and saw the rest of the pilots doing the same. One more second, breathe in and out, and Cade gunned it out of the nebula. Suddenly, the convoy was surrounded by a swarm of X-Wings. As their red lasers struck their shields, with their escorting TIE fighters burst into flames, Cade could sense confusion and panic spread among the ranks of the First Order fleet. But there was something else, a select few were feeling smug and pleased.

Cade didn't have time to dwell on what he sensed as he ducked his X-Wing to avoid fire from the second wave of TIE fighters coming from the carrier in the back. He dove up and fired upon the underbelly of some TIEs, destroying several and scattering the rest.

"This is Blue Leader, starting scanning procedures now." Out of the corner of his eye, Cade saw that Tallie was hovering above the transport.

"She's too early, we haven't cleared out this second wave," Cade gritted through his teeth.

He spun his fighter around and gunned it towards Tallie, also signaling Blue Six, Pacer Agoyo, to follow him. A wall of TIEs stood between them, steadily approaching them with their guns firing. Cade fired a small burst of lasers that burned a hole through the wall by way of killing a TIE. He could see that Agoyo was struggling to keep up, whenever he fired his weapons he slowed down just a bit. This allowed some TIEs to loop back and descend upon him.

Cade reversed his engines, allowing the fighter to spin backward towards Agoyo. The green blaster bolts from the TIEs got absorbed by the shields of Cade's X-Wing, he continued to spin and he started firing. He destroyed one enemy in an instant, while the debris struck the cockpit of its wingmate, causing it to spin out of control and slammed into the other wingmate, causing both to explode. Cade's console started to sizzle from the damage he took earlier, one more hit and he's dead.

"Thanks, Blue Five," Agoyo said.

"You can thank me by keeping up with maintenance. Just because we don't have a lot of mechanics doesn't mean you can't get a little hands-on with your X-Wing," Cade said while gradually accelerated his X-Wing back up to its previous speed.

"Yes, Sir!" Agoyo floored his X-Wing towards Tallie, leaving Cade grumbling about being left in the dust.

Cade and Agoyo spotted three TIEs moving to strike at Tallie, they were so focused on her that they failed to notice her squadron arriving to defend her. With a short burst from both of their cannons, the TIEs were no more.

Tallie gave a thumbs up at her squadmates, who started circling her as they were now in screening formation.

"Scanning is done, let's get this data back to the Echo." Tallie flew past her protectors and raced back into the nebula.

It took a minute but the rest of the Resistance attack force followed her, gradually closing the gap between them. Over the coms, Cade could hear pilots celebrating another victory over the First Order, but he did not. Cade's mind drifted back to the feelings he sensed earlier, something told him that their victory wasn't so clear cut.

* * *

The First Order captain smiled to rest of his bridge crew, their cargo might have been scanned but they had something better.

"Inform Grand Admiral Windrider that we've attached a tracking device to one of the Resistance fighters. They fell for his trap and we can now track them."

* * *

**Location: Core Worlds**

**World: Hosnian Prime**

**City: Republic City**

**POV: Leia Organa**

Leia stood with the rest of her Resistance comrades inside a Senate waiting chamber, a place she hadn't been in for years until today. Her unease must have been obvious because her allies shifted around nervously. The doorway opened to reveal a woman dressed in a semi-elegant dress as if to say this meeting wasn't worth the effort of presenting professionalism.

"I'm Senator Em Valorum of Coruscant, here to take you to the Senate hearing. Though I don't know why we would ever listen to a disgraced Princess," the Senator said.

Caluan Ematt shot out of his seat. "Show some respect, she's General Organa of the Resistance."

"The Resistance is little more than a terrorist organization putting the entire Republic at risk, so we'll reserve the title of General to someone who deserves it. And she's no longer a Senator, so Princess will do," Senator Valorum said.

Leia felt a fire reignite within her, time to step back into the political ring and fight for the fate of the galaxy. It would only get harder from here.


	4. Chapter 3: Last Stand

**33 ABY**

**Location: First Order Home Region**

**System: Kaas City**

**Planet: Dromund Kaas**

**City: Imperial City**

**POV: Aven**

Aven looked out from the family's balcony, observing the stone garden and the two figures below. His brother sat across from a mysterious opponent, with a stone Shah-tezh board in between them. From afar, Aven watched his brother, Arlan, pick up a piece and move it forward five spaces. Up on his balcony Aven grimaced, Arlan was using conventional strategies against his opponent. One could only see that not only was his opponent using unconventional strategies, but he was also easily predicting Arlan's moves and countering them. Not that Arlan would notice, Aven knew from past experience that his brother was completely oblivious to his predicament. His opponent picked up a piece, a pawn, and moved it into an L formation so that it sat next to the Emperor piece. Aven sighed, while it was nice to see the show playing out all the way from his balcony, it's clear that Arlan was outmatched from the beginning and it was boring watching that slowly be realized.

Arlan stared at the pawn for several minutes. Aven knew his brother was trying to keep calm and not lash out. However, his brother stood up, bowed, and left the stone garden. His opponent sat up, shook his head, and left the gardens as well. Aven sighed with relief, at least he could be free from his room. His mother had locked him in his room, something about not interfering with his brother's career.

Aven himself was at least three years from graduating in the officer's program, so he didn't particularly care about careers at the moment. Still, it was a curious thing that his brother was still an ensign on a cargo freighter even after graduating the officer's program five years ago. He even overheard, one night, his parents discussing arranging a visit from someone in High Command in order to jumpstart Arlan's career ascension. While he had no evidence, Aven could guess that Arlan just failed whatever test was set up for him by their parents.

Aven left his room and descended from the top floor to the subterranean kitchen, but he never got there. He rounded a corner and stopped just short of the opponent from earlier.

"Excuse me, sir." Aven stepped around the man.

"Pardon me, young man. I was hoping to have another game of Shah-tezh with a different opponent before I left," the man explained.

Aven knew what he was asking, and he wanted to refuse. But then his mother would probably chew him out for being disrespectful to their guest, and it was just a simple game.

"Very well," Aven said.

He led the guest back down to the stone garden, resetting the game that was played earlier. Now with a fresh board, Aven sat down on one side while the guest sat down across from him. Aven started off using conventional tactics, he didn't want to give anything away too early. He kept being conventional for half the game, lulling his opponent into a false sense of security. Only, there was something different this time. The first game Aven could tell that there was confidence in the opponent's movement, but now Aven could see hesitation. It was fractions of a second, but there were flashes of hesitation before he moved a piece. Then he would switch up his tactics before going back to his earlier ones.

That's when Aven changed tactics for himself, he started being unconventional. He would commit to an attack before pulling out, or he would concentrate his defenses while subtly shifting a smaller group into a different playing field. He would use a strategy for several turns before, feinting to another strategy, before returning to his previous one. Sometimes he would copy his opponent and sometimes he would do the exact opposite. It wasn't clear who the winner would be, it was as if a fog had cast itself over the board and either player was racing to dispel the atmosphere.

That is, until the last four moves, when Aven realized that his opponent had his Emperor trapped and all he could do was delay the inevitable. When his defeat came, he just smiled and thanked the opponent before leaving to prepare for dinner that night.

Later that night, Aven sat next to his opponent at the dinner table.

"Aven, I would like to introduce the illustrious Grand Admiral Nash Windrider of High Command," His mother said, in a sickly honey type of way.

"There's no need for formalities, I know you want me to take on one of your sons as an apprentice of sorts. And I'm sure this will please you, I will choose one of your sons right now," the Grand Admiral said, placing his dinnerware down and standing up.

"That's wonderful to hear, Arlan will make an exceptional right-hand. I assure you." Aven had never seen his mother this happy, ever.

"You misunderstand me, Arlan is not my choice, Aven is," the Grand Admiral responded with.

"I-What?! But Aven is so subpar, while Arlan excels at everything he does with little effort!" Aven's mother yelled, in her shrill voice.

"You've never served in the military, have you Mrs. Pellaeon? Because if you had you would know that questioning a superior officer violates the chain of command, compromises the integrity of the army, and creates unit instability. You are a remnant of a bygone era, when politicians ruled the Empire. When backstabbing and paranoia cost us the war, instead of fighting the real enemy we fought ourselves. I see that same path for Arlan, incompetence and arrogance. Let him rot in his place, for he has none on the battlefield. Aven, on the other hand, has a potential I intend to cultivate. He will be the future of the First Order, he will help bring order and peace back to chaotic galaxy. I trust I have made my decisions clear?" the Grand Admiral hovered behind Aven's mother, just staring at her.

"Yes, yes of course. Forgive me, this is a great honor no matter which son receives it." Aven could see his mother giving him a quick glare before returning her gaze to Nash Windrider.

"Grand Admiral, forgive me, but I'm still in the officer's program. How can I be with you if I haven't graduated yet?" Aven asked.

"Leave that to me, if you are ready? I warn you that this is not a guarantee, you have the potential to be great, but too often I see that potential fizzle out and we're left with someone who only holds the First Order back." the Grand Admiral focused all his gaze onto Aven.

Aven looked around the table, seeing his seething mother and brother, confused father, and the regal Grand Admiral.

"When do we start?" Aven answered.

* * *

**34 ABY**

**Location: Unknown Regions**

**Ship: Resurgent-Class Star-Destroyer, The Retaliation**

**POV: Aven**

Military tradition has been a part of the Pellaeon family since the Stark-Hyperspace War: a conflict that occurred less than a decade before the Trade Federation's invasion of Naboo. As such the Pellaeons were there when the Republic fell, when the Empire fell, and when the First Order rose. They were strategists, thinkers, leaders. It's no wonder that after surviving the Galactic Civil War Gilad Pellaeon, Aven's grandfather, helped build up the First Order and continue the strong military prowess of the Pellaeons.

That day, one year ago, changed Aven's life forever, both for the worst and the best. He now stood primed to become a great military leader, but he faced the wrath of both his mother and his brother. His mother's transmissions were more frequent and explosive, while his brother's transmissions were less-frequent and subdued yet still held rage. At least his service to the Grand Admiral allowed him time away from them, and even before his sudden promotion, Aven felt nothing but contempt for the family that continually pushed him aside for his underachieving older brother.

"Mother, I have more important things to do than to get chewed out for circumstances beyond my control. Good day." Aven shut off the holoprojector, relishing in the silence he now had.

Putting his military training to good use, Aven gathered all the strength he could muster and left his private quarters. Confrontations with his mother often left him exhausted, mentally speaking, but a soldier had to be able to put his own feelings aside for the good of the unit and mission. Especially today.

Aven arrived on the bridge to find Grand Admiral Windrider observing their assembled fleet.

"Ensign, the status of our long-range sensors?" Aven asked a technician in the lower portion of the bridge.

"Tuned to their highest caliber, if the Resistance cruiser comes even 100 hundred parsecs away we'll detect them. Even in hyperspace," the Ensign responded.

Aven nodded and proceeded to the Grand Admiral, standing next to him and at attention.

"At ease," he said.

"Sir, our sensors are operating at peak efficiency. And along with your tracker, the Resistance won't be able to sneak up on us or escape," Aven said.

"Overconfidence is the mother of all mistakes," the Grand Admiral said while pacing briskly across the bridge.

"Sir?" Aven asked.

Silently, the Grand Admiral handed Aven a datapad.

Aven frowned, it was a complete manifest of the fleet's composition. He scrolled through the datapad, seeing only Resurgent-class Star Destroyers. The sound of hissing doors distracted Aven from inquiring with the Grand Admiral.

Grand General Armitage Hux, stepped out onto the bridge. He swiftly moved to stand beside the Grand Admiral, brushing past Aven.

"Stand aside, Lieutenant, there's no need for rabble like you to be so close to members of High Command. Go to your post and do not bother us," Hux ordered.

"This is his post, General, his place is by my side." Grand Admiral Windrider pushed Hux off to the side and began to whisper to him.

"I take it you're responsible for our fleet composition."

"Yes, I am. Once the Resistance sees our overwhelming firepower they'll have no choice but to surrender. If they flee, we have another fleet waiting for them. If they try to run our blockade, well, they're not suicidal."

Hux moved away from the Grand Admiral, motioning for some aide to come over to him. Aven stepped around Hux and returned to his place by the side of the Grand Admiral.

"Sir, I noticed we lacked support ships," Aven stated.

"Yes, it would seem that the Grand General does not see the worth in support ships. Our larger cannons can shoot down a couple of fighters, but without support ships, some starfighters will escape. And they'll come ever closer to victory," the Grand Admiral said.

"Sir?" Aven asked.

"There's a saying on my homeworld, a million scrap rats can take down the mightiest warbird. The Resistance should not work, and yet it does. A million different species and outdated equipment that's often incompatible with each other. And yet they, much like the old Rebellion, have become a formidable fighting force that has outwitted seasoned First Order officers. I have no doubt their ingenuity will see them through this day, helped along by our blunder." The Grand Admiral stared out into the void of space.

"Sir, they're our enemies. It almost sounds like you respect them," Aven said in disbelief.

"Perhaps I do, they always seem to beat a superior force of both resources and technology. This is another lesson you should remember, you can respect your opponent and still want to beat them. The moment overconfidence or disrespect take hold, your opponent has already won," the Grand Admiral responded.

Hux moved back to the Grand Admiral's side, pushing Aven out of the way.

"Don't tell me a few idiotic rebels have the mighty Nash Windrider worried?" Hux sneered.

"You underestimate their resolve to see their mission through. And you underestimate their ingenuity, they'll find a way to get past the blockade. You are squandering the opportunity I gave us by placing that software tracker on that X-Wing. You were focused on the cruiser while I saw the value in tracking their starfighters. We have a chance to land a crippling blow to our enemies, to secure the secrecy of key First Order projects, and you are risking all of that right now. You may have the Supreme Leader's favor, but sooner or later he'll see you for what you truly are."

"I will speak to the Supreme Leader, I will tell him how you wasted resources chasing after puny fighters instead of pursuing the cruiser. Then you'll finally get everything that's coming to you old man." Hux pushed the Grand Admiral.

"Grand Admiral, we're detecting a cruiser coming out lightspeed," Aven told his superior officers.

A Mon Calamari cruiser emerged from its dark void to find itself facing a whole First Order armada.

"Ah, I will soon speak to the Supreme Leader about how I properly used my subordinate's skills to track and trap the Resistance cruiser," Hux said.

The Grand Admiral growled and stepped forward, "Lieutenant Pellaeon, move our ships closer together so our shields and weapon range is overlapping each other. I want to maximize our accuracy. Move our frontal ships forward, narrow their space and force them down our firing corridor."

"Hold on Windrider, I am in command here. Lieutenant Peallaeon, move our ships closer so we have overlapping guns if they try to run the blockade. And narrow their space, we'll shoot them down like the animals they are," Hux ordered.

Before either of them could argue, the doors to the bridge slid open again. All eyes turn to see who was the newcomer, only to avert their gaze once they realize who it was. A Knight of Ren, in obsidian colored armor and helmet, with a lightsaber at her hip, flanked by two Raider Troopers: the personnel execution squad of the Knights. The Knights were a unique entity in the First Order, they answered only to Kylo Ren and the Supreme Leader, and they held an authority that supersedes that of the highest-ranked First Order officer.

They followed the same ancient religion as the Supreme Leader: the Dark Side. Aven paid little attention to religion, instead of focusing on the Knights' role as the enforcers of the Supreme Leader's will. Aven had only heard rumors of their secondary missions, collecting artifacts or assisting in battles, but there was one thing consistent about their primary mission. They were Jedi hunters.

Aven's grandfather had told him stories of a similar group of Dark Side wielders, the Inquisitors. Trained to hunt down any and all Jedi, they succeeded in their mission during the years leading up to Yavin before disappearing like the Jedi they hunted. And much like the Inquisitors, who had Purge Troopers as their personal execution squad, the Raider Troopers serve the same function. Trained in close combat to fight a Jedi, proficient in almost every weapon in the First Order arsenal, all designed to enhance the Knights of Ren.

Anytime a Knight shows up, any First Order officer knows to keep their head down and follow the Knight's orders. No matter how ridiculous or frustrating they are.

"Second Sister, you honor us," Hux said.

"You may dispense with the pleasantries, General, I am simply here to observe the mission." the Second Sister approached the two High Command officers, ignoring Aven.

"And would you like to deploy with our starfighters, we already have your personal fighter fueled and ready to fly." Hux hesitantly approached the Knight.

"I will not, this is your operation I will not interfere with it," She simply said.

"But Second Sister…" Hux trailed off.

"I assume I don't need to remind you about discipline, Hux. You seem to think it means attack whenever the opportunity arises, but when it really means is the wisdom to choose and when not to attack. You do have that, right?" The Second Sister approached Hux menacingly.

"I do, yes." Hux stumbled back a little.

"Excellent, I was worried that a leader in the most well-trained army in galactic history lacked important qualities," the Second Sister grabbed Hux's arm, "I would hate for anything to happen to you.."

"Order our starfighters to deploy, rush the Resistance cruiser and its defenses," Hux ordered.

Aven wanted to object, it was a much wiser move to separate the cruiser from its defending starfighters by drawing them into a confrontation. The Grand Admiral must know this as well, but he didn't object to it. Then Aven's eyes drifted to the Second Sister, and Aven realized exactly what the Grand Admiral had in mind.

* * *

**Location: Unknown Regions**

**Ship: MC80 Star Cruiser, The Echo of Hope**

**POV: Cade**

Cade removed a charred piece of plating from his X-Wing, damaged by the last mission. He placed a new piece of plating onto the X-Wing, and he took a welder from R2 and started welding the plating on. After several minutes Cade finished, and he took a look at his work. It was painfully obvious that his work was shotty, a patch job. He doubted the new armor would last one mission, but it was better than nothing.

"You know, we do have mechanics that could do a much better job than you. It's kinda their whole thing." Marin tossed a bottle of ice-cold water to Cade.

"They always mess up my settings with the X-Wing, something about not being in the regulations. This way I get to keep the X-Wing the way I want it and still have it be repaired," Cade explained, drinking the water.

"Ah, the great Elias Doral gets a little touchy with his things. I forget how territorial you are." Cade could hear Marin roll his eyes.

"I think you're forgetting the times you glare at people for approaching you when you're sharpening your knives. I half expect you to stab someone," Cade shot back.

"Well, I only stop myself because I know you would disapprove."

"That's one way of putting it."

Marin was about to smile until something stopped him. He leaned in closer to Cade…

"Did you shower after the last mission?" he asked.

Cade looked down into the ground before muttering, "No."

"Let me get this straight, after an intense battle, not to mention three hours of post-mission maintenance, and you didn't shower once. You smell like a womp rat nest…" Marin coughed just as he finished his sentence.

"When you say it like that…" Cade looked out into from the hangar bay to hyperspace rushing past in a brilliant blue.

"What's wrong?" Marin approached Cade carefully.

"I feel...cold. Someone's coming, a stranger and yet...I know this person."

The ship returned to real space, ending the blue glow that filled the hangar. Now a dark void took the place of hyperspace, interrupted only the white of distant stars.

"Attention all personnel, emergency code zero. I repeat, emergency code zero."

The remaining Resistance crew in the hangar sprung up from whatever position they were in and began preparing fighters for immediate combat. Cade grabbed his helmet and blaster, tossing a metal box into his cockpit in the process, and hopped into the X-Wing. R2 fired its rocket boosters and landed in the droid compartment, linking up with the X-Wing.

"I'll get my flight suit on and meet you out there, guess all that extra pilot training is going to be put to good use." Marin ran off and went deeper into the bowels of the ship.

Cade saw the rest of Blue Squadron run into the hangar, waiting for them to get into their fighters before he fired up his engines. Once they were up in the air, he followed. Cade took a quick glance around him to see the entire Echo's starfighter contingent, all T-70 X-Wings, emerge from the hangar bay. That was an emergency code zero, all starfighters deployed and all personnel to combat positions.

"This is Blue Leader to Blue Squadron, all pilots call in," Tallie ordered.

"Blue Two, Yrica Quell."

"This is Tamara Ryvora, Blue Three."

"Kazuda Xiono as Blue Four."

"Blue Five, Elias Doral, standing by," Cade said.

"Pacer Agoyo is Blue Six, what's up everybody!"

"Torra Doza, Blue Seven, and quiet down Blue Six."

"Synara San, callsign Blue Eight, and agreed Blue Seven."

"Cut the chatter guys. Blue Nine C'ai Threnalli."

"Blue Ten, Hype Fazon. And Blue Nine, let them have fun. Oh wait, you don't know how to have fun."

"You guys are so mature. This is Blue Eleven, Zay Versio."

"And that's coming from a teenage girl. Blue Twelve, Ello Asty."

"Great, now that we all have bruised egos, let's focus. We're all getting a transmission from Captain Eclipse." As soon as Tallie finished a hologram flickered on in Cade's cockpit.

"This is Captain Juno Eclipse, in what is likely to be my last transmission. As you can see before you, an entire First Order fleet has surrounded us and cut off any escape," Cade saw Star-Destroyers fill up his viewscreen, along with a swarm of TIEs, "The only way for any of us to escape, is by starfighter. Thus all our starfighters have been launched with the objective of breaking through the blockade. The Echo will stay behind and distract them, we most likely will not make it."

Cade felt a wave of sorrow and despair roll over all the pilots, he himself felt his heart crushed at the thought of all the death that was about to occur. Cade allowed himself some breathing time before he focused back on the Captain's transmission.

"...and we've determined it's a new tracking technology, a software tracker. Which is why we're uploading a virus into the X-Wing as we speak, it will purge your software of everything except the basic functions needed to operate the fighter. After that's done, all fighters will be getting a copy of our entire data core. That way, if even one fighter gets through, we've won. I know some of you will hate me for this, but I have faith in all of you," she said before her hologram flickered off.

Cade sent a look back at the Echo, a complicated woman, to say the least. He turned his attention back to the fight in front of him. The TIEs were getting closer and closer, a few more seconds and they'll be in firing ranger. One..two..three...and...now! Cade unleashed a hail of blaster fire that consumed the unfortunate soul he aimed at.

The TIEs started firing as well, striking an X-Wing out of the corner of Cade's eye, he was helpless to stop the death of his comrades. Cade powered the mess of debris that now littered the battlefield, the remains of friends and enemies.

"We've lost Gold Six!"

"I've got two behind me, I can't shake them!"

"I'm hit!"

All around him Cade saw more and more of his comrades die, he left their fiery remains behind as he got closer and closer to the main blockade. The majority of the TIEs split off from their assault and speed off towards the Echo, piercing its defenses and setting fire to the mighty warship. A few TIEs, however, remained in pursuit of Cade and the rest of the fighters. One got particularly close and fired on Cade. He grimaced at the attack.

His shields were drained at the previous fights, he wouldn't be able to hold up under this assault. Luckily, the TIE exploded and its barrage of fire ended with it.

"Miss me?" Marin said, waving from his cockpit as he joined Blue Squadron.

"Marin?! You made it." Cade felt a smile creep onto his face.

"Wouldn't leave you for the world. Now let's run this blockade!" Marin gunned his X-Wing forward, followed closely by the rest of Blue Squadron.

As they approached the blockade, the turbolasers on the Star-Destroyers began to fire on them. More and more X-Wings were consumed by the enemy, but still, they pressed on. Cade saw his comrades filter through tiny gaps in the blockade, getting hit by enemy fire but ultimately getting through. Cade followed suit, holding his breath as he dodged and weaved through enemy fire through the tiny gap in their defense. A stray bolt struck his rear, sending bits and pieces of armor flying off into space.

"Punch it R2!" The light of hyperspace filled Cade's eyes as he made it through the blockade.

Cade let out his breath, he didn't feel relief. Instead, he felt anxiety.

* * *

**Location: Unknown Regions**

**Ship: MC80 Star Cruiser, The Echo of Hope**

**POV: Juno**

Juno watched as the last of her fighters made the jump to lightspeed as the bridge of her mighty cruiser burned around her. She felt content; she had done her duty and now waited for the end that came with being a soldier. The TIEs circled back to the bridge, her remaining crew scrambling to leave and make it to the escape pods, but Juno knew that the First Order left no survivors. As the TIEs got closer and closer, she approached the window and closed her eyes.

* * *

**Location: Unknown Regions**

**Ship: Resurgent-Class Star-Destroyer, The Retaliation**

**POV: Second Sister, a Knight of Ren**

She had felt it, an all too familiar presence.

Skywalker

She heard the officers arguing in the background, something about letting the Resistance fighters getaway and who was to blame. She didn't really care, all that mattered at that moment was that Skywalker lived.

"Hux, set course for Starkiller Base. There you can explain your failure to Master General Kylo Ren and the rest of High Command," she ordered.

She went back to ignoring the General, focusing only on Skywalker…

* * *

**Author's Notes**

I wrote this way before the Rise of Skywalker came out, so the Knights of Ren in this are different from the ones presented in the movie. In fact, a lot of details will be different from Episode 9. I will include some details from that film but this was written based off of the information presented in the Force Awakens and Last Jedi.


	5. Chapter 4: Trial of a Princess

**34 ABY**  
**Location: Core Worlds**

**System: Hosnian System**

**Planet: Hosnian Prime**

**City: Republic City**

**POV: Leia**

Bright lights struck Leia as she entered the Senate room, temporarily blinding her and scattering the darkness. Her eyes adjusted to find a room full of reporters and an elevated above, a group of Senators sitting at desks. Leia gritted her teeth. This was a trap and she had walked into it. This wasn't a hearing on the First Order, this was an ambush. All around her, television crews filmed the appearance of the infamous Princess of Alderaan. Leia quickly gathered herself, putting on the mask she used whenever she dealt with politicians. Ahead, the floor illuminated a podium that stood tall in front of the panel of proud senators. Leia gestured for the other Resistance members to take seats in the back.

Leia walked along the path, winding through fields of reporters and journalists. She was sure that the path was to leave her open to attack from the press. Out of the corner of her eye, Leia spotted Premin Forst and a film crew from Galactic Observation. Of course, they were here. That show always seemed to be there at her lowest and served to only humiliate her. Leia managed to keep her cool until she got to her podium, then she realized what room she was in. Hosnians use architecture as a means of communication, they pioneered a style of roof arches based on their belief that justice should have a strong support system. The intricately woven steel and wires, it's very distinct and recognizable.

This was a Praetor courtroom, a type of court reserved for non-Hosnians or off-worlders, this particular one had been used for Imperial war criminals. After the Galactic Civil War, the Republic had an entire legion of Imperials with a never-ending list of war crimes to each and every one of their names. The trials stretched on for a decade, and across multiple planets. Hosnian Prime was no different. Leia herself presided over several trials in this very room. And now Leia was here, on the other end of the trial, or hearing in this case. It was painfully obvious as to why this room was forced onto her, and what the people thought of Leia.

Leia gathered herself by allowing the Force to flow through her and give her strength, letting her blood cool at this insult. She stepped forward to the podium, the eyes of her Resistance comrades and the press watching her intently. The center Senator rose, and Leia recognized her instantly.

"I, Senator Em Valorum of Coruscant, hereby call this committee to session. We are gathered here today to discuss the growing security risk the rogue group known as the Resistance poses, and if it should be classified as a terrorist organization. We have called Leia Organa, current General and leader of the Resistance, to testify. After she has concluded, this committee will vote," Em said.

Leia felt the color drain from her face, the Resistance's future hung on a ledge, staring at the abyss that threatened to devour it. Leia risked a glance back at the Resistance members, at the people who place their futures in her hands. These people had given up so much, sacrificed almost everything because they believed in Leia and her cause. Too often Leia has lost everything, seen the people she cared about get hurt, and it was going to happen again right in front of her.

If the Republic hunted them, then the Resistance wouldn't have the time or resources to fight against the First Order. And Chancellor Casterfo couldn't save them, this committee fell outside the powers of his office. Leia needed, no, demanded a miracle at that moment.

It all fell on Leia, her words in the next few minutes would decide the course of the galaxy, whether people knew it or not. Leia looked around the committee, studying her opponents and strategizing. She would need to convince them that the Resistance didn't deserve to be hunted down like animals, and she would need to appeal to them.

On her right, Leia counted six Centrist senators, and on her left, six Populists. Em Valorum stood in the middle, projecting an image of pride and regality. She would be impossible to convince, as she had been the one to put this committee together since she is the head of it. Though it does intrigue Leia that Em would include Populists in her committee, perhaps she has made a deal with them in exchange for their vote. It gives the outward appearance of fairness, so no one can accuse Em of cheating the system. Leia would just have to work harder to defeat Em's efforts.

"Karabast, these are Populist senators," Ematt whispered harshly, though Leia heard him through Force-enhanced hearing. Ematt shifted around in his seat far back in the courtroom.

"That's great, right? I mean, these are people that Leia used to work with." Connix sounded confused.

"You don't pay attention to politics, do you? Populists are notorious for their anti-militaristic attitudes, so you can guess how they feel about us," Ematt responded.

"Oh."

"And Leia's parental revelation doesn't help things either. _Populists, well known for loving Vader_." Although Leia couldn't see him, she could tell he was rolling eyes at his statement.

Leia thought, 'Unfortunately, he's not wrong. I can't rely on a collective strategy to convince any to vote for me, be they Populist or Centrist. I'll need to take on each, appeal to them as individuals and what they desire,'

13 senators in total, six Populists and seven Centrists. It was going to give her a massive headache later but she could do this, provided she could beat whatever deal Em struck with those senators.

"Senator Anib Ney will ask the first question," Em announced.

Anib Ney, that was a name Leia remembered from her final year in the Senate, Leia recalled that Anib was, for lack of better descriptors, weak-willed and easily manipulated. He was also one to distance himself from those who failed spectacularly, like corporations who declared bankruptcy or senators who got dragged into scandals.

"Leia Organa Solo, is it true that you lead the Resistance, a known military organization operating without permission from any government?" the Sullustan asked.

Leia decided to test Anib, she needed to know if he was the same person as he was before. And if she could take advantage of his weaknesses. At that moment, Leia decided to use the name of a corporation that Anib had ties to, but wouldn't fit him now if he hasn't changed.

"SoroSuub must have informed you incorrectly, not surprising seeing as how they've been in such a low place recently. We operate with full permission from every planetary government in the Republic we've encountered. And we also perform missions in the territory outside of the Republic, outside of its jurisdiction," Leia answered.

"You take back those comments about SoroSuub, that company is my people's pride and glory. I will not have disparaged them today!" Anib Ney shouted at Leia.

Anib's outburst shocked Leia, causing her to pause and evaluate what just happened.

Anib Ney represented Sullust, a lava world rich with minerals and fuel. Since most of the surface was entrenched in lava and acid, the Sullustans lived in underground cities. And SoroSuub Corporation owned and operated the entire fuel and mineral industry on Sullust. However, thanks to some risky stock investments, SoroSuub had been in a downwards spiral. They kept selling off various assets, but it looked like all they were doing was stalling the inevitable. A company that Anib definitely wouldn't defend, which makes his behavior all the more puzzling. Unless…

"Senator Ney, she has answered the question. We should move on." Em said.

Ah, there it is. House Valorum is a wealthy family, one would only need to move credits through a third party and...Leia decided to test her theory in a rather bold way.

"No, I must apologize. It seems you have a savior, for that I'm grateful. Truly, whoever that person is, they have saved an important company to the galactic economy. Please pass on my thanks and apologies." Leia watched Anib's eyes briefly dart at Em before he nodded at Leia.

That was all she needed to know, Anib was in the pocket of Em.

"Now that that's been resolved, we can move on. Senator Aguro Wain would like to ask a question," Em said.

A Muun sat next to Anib, Leia recognized him as Aguro Wain. He represented the homeworld of the Muuns, Munnilist, in the Senate and was a dedicated lawmaker.

"I'm trying to pin down your motives for this venture, Ms. Organa Solo. If you were concerned that the First Order was a threat, then surely you could leave it to the Republic to handle?" Aguro Wain asked.

"I did, I tried. But when people in the Republic see me, they see my father. They judge me based on the actions of a man I had fought against, and that created a bias against me. For no other reason than being related to Vader," Leia could see something stir behind Aguro's eyes, she was on to a lead with the Munn, she just needed to figure out what to press on in order to get Aguro on her side, "Of course, that's not why I went with the Resistance. I did it because the Republic choose not to do anything when I presented credible information on First Order operations," Crap, Leia could tell that she was getting colder with Aguro, she needed to switch things up, "But that doesn't mean that what my father did doesn't affect me, it does. And if the public doesn't trust me because of who my biological parents are, then I will spend the rest of my life trying to redeem myself in their eyes if it means they recognize the threat the First Order poses to all of us."

There it was, she was back on the right track with Aguro, his posture shifted to lean in more towards her. Leia was surprised that Aguro was responding the way he was, given what the Empire did to his world and people.

The Muuns endured a brutal occupation during the reign of the Empire. They had slaved away in datacenters in order to create financial and military algorithms while the Empire looted their worlds and businesses. Now free from the Empire, the Muuns had set about rebuilding their lives. Luckily, the New Republic needed a banking system and the Muuns offered up a rebuilt Banking Clan in exchange for an accelerated rebuilding effort by the Republic for Munnilist. But the Republic restricted the power of the Clan, in order to prevent their actions in the Clone Wars from repeating.

"I see, so you're ignoring the past in order to move to the future for even greater gains. Interesting, Interesting…"Aguro trailed off, no longer paying attention to Leia.

"I see you haven't changed one bit." Leia flashed him a warm smile before returning her attention back to the committee.

Aguro Wain was a chief proponent of the Baking Clan, despite having no affiliation to the banks. Leia recalled one of her last Senate debates, where Aguro made a passionate plea to the Senate that Muuns were seeking redemption for their actions in the Clone Wars. On that day, Leia sensed a great deal of truth and sincerity coming from the Muun Senator. Perhaps the Empire proved to be a humbling experience for the Muun people, being exploited and terrorized might have opened the Muuns to the suffering of the galaxy, particularly their actions during the Clone Wars. And that was Leia's in. She could offer the Muuns the galactic redemption they so desperately wanted.

"Senator Wain, if you're quite done, there are other senators who would like to ask their question," without waiting for a reply Em Valorum continued, "The Senator of Utapau has a question."

The Utapau representative shifted around in her seat, clearly uncomfortable being on the committee. Leia had to guess it wasn't just the committee the Pau'an was uncomfortable with; her people preferred the dark and the Senate was anything but that. The bright lights striking Leia must make it uncomfortable to look at her. This Senator must be a young one, older Pau'ans adapted to bright environments quickly but the younger ones took a long time. She must be just starting her Senator career. Curious that this Pau'an was on a committee. Why would Em Valorum choose such a young and inexperienced Senator?

"Mistress Valorum, I'm terribly sorry but I'm not feeling well. I'll have to skip my question," the Pau'an said, rubbing her forehead.

There it was, the word Mistress. Context wise it could either mean Valorum is having an affair or is in a position of respect for the Pau'an. Leia had to go with the latter for obvious reasons. Em Valorum had taken the impressionable Pau'an under her wing, mentored her, and coupled with the Empire's slaving of Utapau. This was another win for the Senator of Coruscant.

"Since the honorable Senator of Utapau will not ask a question, I presume I can proceed where she did not?" a human senator asked.

"Senator Hasha Serenno may proceed with his questioning," Em waved aside the human senator, showing he had permission.

Viscount Hasha of the House Serenno, heir to the Count of Serenno, and Senator for his homeworld. Hasha was not a direct descendent of Dooku, but rather of his sister, the late Jenza. Dooku himself never had children, nor did his elder brother Ramil, so Jenza's line was selected to continue the lineage and the rulership of Serenno. From what Resistance intelligence has gathered, Hasha and his father, Bron, faced an uphill battle to their rule. Serenno had a deep hatred of the Sith ever since they occupied the planet thousands of years ago, and with the public revelation of Dooku's Sith allegiance and his war atrocities, coupled with the unpopular rule of Gora and Ramil, Bron's rule was quickly backsliding into chaos.

Resistance Intelligence noted a First Order interest in the planet. Whether they were stoking the fires of revolt, whispering in the Count's ears, or both, Leia needed to intervene there before the First Order acquired a significant political foothold in the Outer Rim.

"Princess Leia, do you think that your actions are helping the planets involved? Or are you doing more harm than good?" Hasha asked.

Leia couldn't tell if there was any double meaning behind his questions, whether this man was genuinely curious or had a hidden agenda. Though, Leia mused, perhaps she could use this as an opportunity to discern Hasha's true allegiance. If she voted for the Resistance then he could be counted as an ally, or at the very least, did not hold any loyalty to the First Order. If he voted against the Resistance, then he was either an Em lackey or a First Order one, neither of which was a good sign. Leia decided that, at that moment, this would be her interrogating him.

"Most of the planets we get involved in are neutral worlds, or poor Republic worlds, they don't have much in the way of defenses so the First Order finds them easy to beat into submission. The people we rescue, the downtrodden and oppressed, they see our symbol and welcome the hope that it brings. Our message is spreading across the galaxy, we help those who can't help themselves. Yes, there are consequences to our interventions. But we stand with the people we help, ready to weather those consequences with them. And inaction, in this case, brings worse consequences." Although Leia considered her response to be generic at best, Hasha seemed to perk up at the mention of the Resistance's reputation with oppressed people. Then it hit her, the people of Serenno considered themselves to be oppressed, this gave Leia an idea.

Leia could present herself as a potential ally to Hasha, the Resistance could establish a presence of the planet and ensure government stability. Wouldn't even be that hard, because while the wider New Republic government distrusted her and the Resistance, a handful of planets with a particularly independent streak instead placed their faith in people who got the job done. And despite the best efforts of both the Republic and the First Order, the Resistance's name and actions were spreading across the galaxy. Leia just needed to present herself as an ally, which was the truth and offer the same thing to Serenno as Munnilist, redemption.

"I see, consider my question answered. Senator Valorum, I pass things back to you," Hasha said, gesturing at the Courscanti woman.

"Very well, would the Senator from Falleen like to comment on anything?" Em sent a glare in the direction of the last Populist senator.

"Not really, I already know everything I need," Senator Synthia Zyqill responded, looking smugly back at Em.

Falleen, Leia recalled the planet well, it was under the joint rule by an Imperial-Black Sun Syndicate alliance headed up by Prince Xizor. Weeks after the Battle of Endor, Leia led a Rebel task force to the planet and successfully overthrew Xizor and the Imperial governor. Princess Leila, a cousin of Xizor, stepped in and helped set up an Assembly in order to prevent someone from repeating Xizor's actions of allying with another tyrannical regime. Leia remembered it well as it was the last battle she participated in before she learned she was pregnant.

Synthia came from that Assembly, voted in by its members to represent Falleen's interests in the Republic. The Falleen were the kind of people who hated to be indebted to someone, they wanted to be the ones to hold the debt.

"I-I see, well then, would any other Populist senator like to question Leia Organa Solo?" Em seemed unnerved by Synthia's response as if she wasn't expecting it.

Leia felt a wave of relief wash over her, she wasn't out of the woods but she at least had some allies left in the Republic. Then Leia saw the next representative, and it made her heart skip a beat. Last time Leia saw Trilad Ross, she was being forced out of the Senate and he was being promoted from Junior Representative to Senator. She didn't know how New Alderaan and its people viewed her, she hadn't been on the planet for years now.

"I decline to question." was all Ross said.

"Princess Leia, we shall be moving on to the Centrists' questions. It's been a while since you've been in any kind of Senate hearing, I do hope you can keep up," Valorum sneered.

"So impatient, very well, let's get this sham trial moving," Leia sneered back.

A Senator on the Centrist side shifted uncomfortably, Leia shifted her gaze to see who it was.

"Would Senator Keto like to question Princess Leia?" Em asked condescendingly.

"I-I-uh, well I, um…" Senator Keto tried to utter words but nothing except strange sounds escaped him.

Leia wondered why a senator would lose composure in such a public place, then she remembered her earlier remark and a senator's physical unease about it. Why would the senator be this uncomfortable about a senate hearing? Unless...it wasn't the hearing itself but the way it was being conducted. Then Leia recalled the man's name and the planet he represented.

Alton Keto, Duke of Koros Minor and heir to the throne of Empress Teta. The city planet had an interesting past, to say the least, as it was both a great ally and enemy to the Republic. Teta has enormous and powerful facilities where they process ore from all across the galaxy and convert it into metal used in every aspect of society, most importantly military functions for the Republic. Then the Krath cult and the Great Sith War happened, which put House Keto at the forefront of a Sith war and a Dark Side cult that helped expand the war to galactic proportions.

Despite happening thousands of years ago, House Keto still had a smear on their reputation. And the following descendants find themselves fighting against the actions of their ancestors, just like Leia. Alton was clearly worried that this sham hearing was something his ancestors would do, which is why the man was having such a strong reaction. Leia's political mind knew that if she used some select words later, then she would be able to get both Munnilist and Empress Teta on her side just by playing up the redemption angle. Though she needed him to calm down and be open to her…

"It's alright, you're okay,", this caught Alton's attention, "You don't need to go through with this if you don't want to, I understand."

Something inside Alton clicked, Leia could see it, the man sat back and exhaled a great deal.

Off to the side, Leia heard a snicker from a Centrist senator, Leia glanced over to find the representative from Balmorra chuckling at her. A quick glare from her sent the man into silence, but Leia could tell he was still mocking her in his mind. A clear sign of disrespect meant that Senator Mieth Diat was not on her sign, not surprising considering the planet he came from.

"I also would like to skip my questions, Balmorra has no interest in the Resistance and will not in the future. I believe I have made my position clear now." Diat stared down at Leia, like a giant arrogantly staring down at an ant.

"It's always nice to see Balmorra seeing people only as sources of credits, glad to know you guys haven't changed one bit," Leia insinuated.

Balmorra is the largest weapons manufacturer in the galaxy, supplying every galactic government with the highest grade of weapons and droids in the entire galaxy. Their weapons were so good that even though it was in the Republic, it was still allowed to sell weapons to the CIS for fear that if the Republic prevented their sales, Balmorra would stop supplying the Clones and Jedi with armaments that easily outclassed the Separatists. Balmorra would continue this practice with the Empire and Rebels, supplying both sides with weapons and bringing in millions in credits, despite being an official member of the Empire. Not even Tarkin intervened with them, though he certainly pressed most of their factories into building weapons for the Imperial fleet and the Death Star. Leia suspected, though could never confirm it, that Balmorra continued its tradition of supplying arms to both sides of a conflict as, despite being a member of the New Republic and a supplier of the Army, several shipments have repeatedly and routinely disappeared near First Order territory.

Leia mentally sighed, Balmorra likely didn't see the Resistance as a profitable venture and sided with Valorum as she had more credits to offer them. Unfortunately, Leia didn't have the credits to match Coruscant, another vote to Em Valorum.

Senator Diat just shrugged, "I haven't the faintest idea what you mean. But if what you and your little Resistance do know something, then please share. Word of warning though, don't rock the boat before a storm hits," Diat's eyes turn ice cold, "after all, people don't take kindly to people who like to shake things up."

Diat let dread silence fill the air before he plastered on a fake smile, and nodded at Em.

"Must all these theatrics be necessary, you're making this seem like a sham trial. I, for one, do not wish to see the horrors that were inflicted on my people to be repeated right before my eyes." The Umbaran representative stood up, causing Em's attention to divert to her fellow senator.

"Quite right, which is why the princess will have a chance to speak and present evidence in her favor. But that's at a later point, now would the senator from Shu-Torun like to ask a question?" Em gestured at a woman dressed in elaborate jewelry and fine fabrics.

The Umbaran representative sat back down, but he cast a glare at Em before winking at Leia. She looked down at her desk and began typing something, the other senators were too wrapped up with Em to notice the actions of the Umbaran senator.

Leia had no idea who this Umbaran was, Umbara had only joined that prior year thanks to a lucrative trading and mining contract with a Republic friendly company. She could only sense that this person was not an enemy, whether they were an ally remained to be seen. For now, Leia would move onto the other senators, but Umbara would remain a puzzle she would solve later.

"Please, this woman here is guilty of so many crimes. All we're doing is bringing her to justice," the elaborately dressed senator said.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" Leia held back a retaliatory insult.

"Third in line for the throne of Shu-Torun, Her Royal Princess Cain."

Sensing hidden meaning behind Cain's words, Leia decided to probe the senator a bit.

"Shu-Torun, ...I saved that planet. Prevented Rebel extremists from causing the planet's core to implode."

"Is that what you call your actions? Well, you'll find the Royal Family and the people of Shu-Torun have a very different view."

Leia looked down at the floor, "I admit, mistakes were made. But it's a lot more complicated than what you're making things out to be."

Leia had a tumultuous history with the planet, Queen Trios had offered to supply the Rebel fleet with much-needed weapons and resources, only to turn around and supply Vader with the location of Mako-Ta space station, the Alliance's headquarters after the Battle of Yavin. Leia lost so many friends that day when Trios disabled their ships, and let Vader's squadron of Star Destroyers reign down hell upon those helpless rebels. Leia led a mission to Shu-Torun, that disabled their mining operations and killed Trios for her betrayal. From what Leia had heard, Shu-Torun was only recently able to recover with help from the New Republic. Leia inflicted so much loss onto the royal family and to the planet itself, that she just knew that Em didn't even need to offer up anything to Cain. Revenge against Leia was reward enough.

Cain scoffed at Leia's response and gestured for Em Valorum to continue.

"Must we continue with this, we already know why Leia is involved with the Resistance. She's an old woman trying to relive the glory days of her youth," a woman with the badge of the Anaxes Imperium pinned on her dress said.

The senator from Anaxes, one Classiby Xit, was also not considered an ally. Anaxes and Coruscant were practically sister planets, with Coruscant being the elder sibling and Anaxes following Coruscant's lead. When Coruscant founded the Old Republic, Anaxes was there. When the Republic and Empire needed quality naval officers, Anaxes was there to offer up the War Colledge. All Leia had to see was how Senator Xit held onto every word that Em uttered to know that nothing would ever break Anaxes' faith with Coruscant, and thus Leia could not hope to change Xit's vote on the Resistance.

"Don't suppose I could convince you to listen to my case?" Leia asked, already knowing the answer.

"No, I'm afraid not. Once upon a time, you were relevant. Now, I can't be bothered to think about you." Xit's Core Worlds' arrogance on full display.

"Restrain yourself Xit, this woman has done a lot more with her life than you have at your age," a Duros said.

"Excuse you?!"

"All I'm saying is that one should know when to be grateful." then the Duro senator looked to Leia, as if trying to send a message.

Duro was a planet that suffered heavily under Imperial rule, with their people forced off-world to build superweapons, land polluted to feed the Empire's war machine, and humans moving into the orbital cities that billions of Duros once called home. Leia was glad to see the Duros people had reclaimed their home and were managing to restore their home thanks to Alderaanian technology Leia had given them when the New Republic was established. It was so early into the start of the galactic government that the proper records didn't exist, this meant that as far as the Republic and Em were concerned, Duro and Leia had no ties. Leia got only a nod from the Duros senator to confirm that they would help her in this dire time of need.

Em stood up from her chair and stepped towards her mike, "I assume the delegate from Duro has spoken his piece. We will now move to closing arguments."

Em took a long breath before she started speaking.

"The Resistance has repeatedly, and with malice of intent, attacked First Order patrols in hopes of starting a war. I ask why? Why start a war with such a small remnant of the Old Empire that will result only in the loss of Republic lives and a hollow victory? The answer is clear, it's because Leia's bloodlust cannot and will not be quenched. That is why she formed her Resistance, to feed that darkness lurking within her that Vader gave her. I implore my fellow senators, stop this war criminal before her tyranny can do real damage!" Em shed a tear, turning her head to make sure that all the cameras caught her crying.

Aguro Wain stood up, "Would Princess Leia like to say anything in her defense and the defense of the Resistance?"

Leia took in a silent breath, she counted six senators on her side and six on Em's side. And even then she would have to make one hell of a speech in order to get that much support. New Alderaan was the only wild card in play, Leia could only hope that something was in play to convince her former people to support the Resistance. She would have to place her fate, and that of the Resistance, in the hands of the Force.

"I have been called many things in recent years; monster, witch, Sith. After everything I've done for the Alliance, for the Republic, this is how the people now treat their heroes. I fought to liberate Falleen from the corrupt rule of the Black Sun and the Empire, even when there was a chance my unborn child could have died. I fought knowing that, if I were to die, then I could at least ensure that future children of Falleen could live free and happy. But then everything changed when Vader was revealed as my father, then the whole galaxy turned on me for the actions of a man I never knew. I am being blamed for my father's actions, not my own. All of you are taking the sins of the father and laying them onto me. And if you still want to blame the actions of one's family onto an individual, then the Resistance is the best place for anyone to be. We offer redemption to those who need, a better future to the downtrodden and oppressed of the galaxy. If Vader's actions are truly my own, then let me work with the Resistance and redeem the actions of my father." Leia could feel the emotions of the senators, some were unmoved while others had a torrent of doubt and confusion.

Leia would go on to list statistics about the First Order, relay first-hand accounts from her pilots and people the Resistance had freed, but none of that mattered, only her speech did.

* * *

**POV: Ransolm Casterfo**

The Chancellor of the Republic held back a groan as another wave of pain from his headache, it wouldn't be wise for him to have a mental breakdown in front of influential senators and company officials. Ransolm sat in a small open hovercarridge touring the main military complex in Republic City. The Center of Strategic Planning and Counseling, or the Strategic Council for short, was the headquarters for all the entire armed forces of the Republic. From the navy to the army, anything that happened here would affect the entire Republic. Someone high ranking in the government had to be at the Center for important events, Ransolm just wished it wasn't him.

'A downside of the job,' he mused inside his head.

An endless wave of 2-M Saber Repulsor Tanks, AT-TEs, LAATs, T4-B heavy Tanks, HAWt Turbo Tanks Mark 4, and Mobile Proton Torpedo Launchers stretched out before the Chancellor and his retinue. An impressive array of military equipment, that had already been mass-produced and sent out to New Republic military bases across the galaxy.

"Some of these are from the Clone Wars, why would we use outdated tech from a war over fifty years ago?" the senator from Koorivar remarked.

"We've, of course, made upgrades to the design in order to modernize it to the current standards of our era. Besides the reason these designs were phased out was the Empire's Tarkin Doctrine, which favored a show of power rather than practical applications. We've ditched this way of thinking in favor of equipment that will be more useful to a wider range of scenarios," Arichx Avastarrr, CEO of FreiTek Engineering, said through his pressurized suit.

"But wouldn't a show of power be more cost-efficient, we would still be able to accomplish our same peacetime objectives at a fraction of the cost," the senator of Manaan said.

"I'm afraid you'll have to ask the Chancellor about that, I'm simply accommodating my employer's request." All eyes turned Ransolm after the Skakoan's remarks.

Peacetime wouldn't last much longer, unfortunately. That's why Ransolm ordered more practical designs instead of more cost-efficient ones. However, he couldn't tell that to the senators around him. Otherwise, it would cause a panic, or alert the First Order that the Republic was aware of them and preparing for their inevitable invasion.

"A matter for another time, for now, let's just conclude this tour and retire for the night." Ransolm knew this would cause more problems down the line but that was something for future him, the current one just wanted to sleep for a few hours.

The carriage came to a stop at the entrance to the Center, and several grumbling senators left the vehicle, no doubt to file complaints for Ransolm to read later. Ransolm got out last and found Vice-Chancellor Nej Haruss of Corellia waiting for him. Arichx stood out of the way and off to the side, just enough so that he wasn't noticed.

"Sorry I couldn't take your place on this tour. My negotiations with the various factions on Pijal took longer than expected, but I'm happy to report that both the exiled government and the current Queen of Pijal are willing to sign a ceasefire and are open to more diplomatic talks. Provided I be the mediator," Nej explained.

"I take it they were caught off guard by your personality?" Ransolm asked as he and Nej began walking out of the Center with Arichx closely behind them.

"You could say that, I guess they never expected a pacifist to be such a skilled negotiator. You should have seen their faces, they thought they could just walk all over, I proved them wrong." Nej smiled so brightly that Ransolm found himself smiling as well.

Suddenly, Ransolm heard a beep from behind him. He turned around to see Arichx looking down at his gauntlet, frowning.

"Excuse, something at FreiTek requires my immediate attention." The Skakoan rushed off past the two statesmen, leaving both confused.

"In any event, I'm glad we're alone now. We can discuss Em Valorum and her sham trial going on now, I really hate her miscarriage of justice," Nej whispered.

"I'm sorry Nej, I can't intervene. The Chancellor doesn't have the power to interfere with a Senate hearing." Ransolm left his Vice-Chancellor with those last words hanging in the air.

Even if Ransolm had the power to save Leia, he would not do anything. It would risk exposing his connection to the Resistance and undo everything he had Leia had done up to this point. So while it pained him to leave Leia like that, it had to be done in order for billions to survive.

* * *

**POV: Leia**

Leia had dismissed most of the Resistance members to wander through the Hosnian nightlife, she wanted them to relax a little before their next move was decided. Whether that be disbanding or deployment, they needed some time to themselves before the storm hit.

The doors to the private judgment room of the Senate hearing slowly swung open, with a group of senators walking out. Em Valorum stepped out in front and sent a glare Leia's way before she walked away. The rest of the senators followed suit, except for Zqil and Ross. Ross lingered before he quietly shuffled away, while Senator Zqil marched over to where Leia sat.

"Our committee has voted not to place any restrictions onto the Resistance and to allow them to continue their operations," the Falleen explained.

"Thank you," was all Leia said.

"I hope you know that I gave up a lucrative trade deal for this, which now makes us even Princess. Though if it weren't for the senator from New Alderaan, you would be cooked right now," Zqil barked.

"Oh?" this piqued Leia's interest, washing away her relief.

"It came as a shock to all of us, but he voted in your favor. Maybe it had something to do with a strange meeting he had with the Umbaran senator, he did pull him aside for a quick meeting with someone from FreiTek. It appears as though you have a guardian angel." Zqil walked away, leaving Leia puzzled.

This strange meeting would have to be followed up on, along with Corellian Engineering and Cerea. So many companies, so many webs, where did it all lead to?

Just then Larma D'Acy rounded the corner carrying a datapad, her expression grim. She wordlessly handed Leia the datapad, her heart skipped a beat once she began to read it.

"Gather everyone up now! We leave for our base on Odessen immediately."


	6. Chapter 5: Encrypted

**34 ABY**  
**Location: Wild Space**  
**System: Senya System**  
**Planet: Odessen**  
**POV: Cade**

When smoke started to emerge from his console, Cade's lungs started to burn. Guess when you run a hyperdrive for more than a day straight, it tends to overheat the circuitry within the entire starfighter. To make matters worse, the overheating was causing damage to the other systems. A red warning light flashed on Cade's screen to indicate the loss of another system, another step towards the total system collapse of the X-Wing. Right now, life-support was barely hanging on and ventilation had slowed down considerably, so Cade couldn't just vent the smoke out of the cockpit.

"Beep-bop," R2 said.

"I know it's hard keeping the entire fighter together buddy, just a little bit longer then we both can get out of this situation," Cade managed to croak out.

Cade knew some Jedi techniques to remedy his problem, Master Kreia, a well-respected Jedi Master, developed a technique thousands of years ago that involved using the Force to hold your breath for an extended period of time. Unfortunately, Cade has spent the last three years religiously avoiding anything to do with the Force; anytime he felt the Force rise within him he crushed it like a giant to an ant. He was out of practice when it came to actively draw upon the Force, meaning he burned himself out at a remarkable pace when calling upon the Force.

Every cell in his body felt as though a supernova tore it apart, forged back together, then shattered by a sledgehammer.

"Captain Juno, the Echo, all those people." Cade felt something bitter and cold roll down his cheek, his hands moved to wipe it away. He lowered his hand to find a single tear, but it was hollow and void, almost as though a specter possessed the tear.

A connection to the Force is a unique thing; some have to actively hone it in order to bring out its full potential, while others, like Cade's grandfather Anakin, had so much power they could go years without using the Force and still be able to lift mountains. However, an underlying theme they all shared was forming bonds with the people around them. And despite his best efforts, Cade had formed bonds with members of the crew on the Echo, allowing him to feel their final moments, a bright fire suddenly being strangled by a reaper, before they were stolen from the universe.

"Marin, please be alive. I don't think I can lose another person I care about, not as I lost...Ben." Flashes of that night on Ossus surged forth to strike at Cade, causing him to force down the name that still causes him so much pain.

And he didn't know if Marin and Blue Squadron were alright. He couldn't talk to them, and he couldn't sense their presence because he was so drained, like there was a gaping black hole in his chest where his heart was. It didn't help his current state that he didn't know what the fate of his best friend was.

A sharp beep shattered the silence. Red lights blasted the entire cockpit, indicating another system failure. Cade wiped off some soot on the monitor, seeing exactly what just happened.

"Hope we're at Odessen because our hyperdrive just died." Cade strapped himself tightly to his seat, mentally bracing for the event about to occur.

A wild color storm replaced the blue light of hyperspace as the X-Wing abruptly returned to realspace, then Cade was crushed in his seat as the X-Wing spun out. The fighter kept spinning, forcing Cade against the straps of his seat as he struggled to regain his bearings.

Once he stopped seeing triple of everything, Cade spotted a blue-green planet off in the distance.

"R2, sublight engine status? They're our only chance of reaching that planet, otherwise, we won't survive long drifting like this," Cade looked back towards his trusted friend.

"Bop-bop-beep."

"Let's give it a try then." Cade gunned his engines which, after electricity arced and burned parts of the fighter, roared to life.

Though the X-Wing was moving at a snail's pace, Cade was content to just observe the cosmic starlight of the wider galaxy around him. No war, no darkness, just the galaxy and existence, the possibility of peace right before him. Cade pulled himself out of his daydream and beach to reality, and to the planet he quickly recognized as Odessen.

"Thank the Force," Cade muttered.

"Beep-beep."

"Something's coming? Ah, must be the welcoming committee." An entire squadron of X-Wings approached him.

"Security codes," a familiar voice ordered over coms

"1161979, nice to hear your voice, Snap."

"Likewise, your squadmates will be relieved. Marin's getting pretty antsy, and I hear even General Organa was worried about you," Snap said.

"You don't say." A wave of warmth washed over Cade at the mention of his aunt's name.

"Cade, we'll escort you in." Snap ordered the rest of his squadron to form around Cade, then they all descended towards the surface of Odessen.

The ride through Odessen's atmosphere was uneventful, peaceful, until they got to the chaotic area surrounding the base. Cade miles and miles of towering mountains, with an avalanche occurring just as Cade and Snap approached the region. Cade recalled the Resistance's decision to make a base in an unusual location.

The Resistance decided to set up their main base on a planet that bordered the Unknown Regions, the heart of First Order territory, so they could more easily monitor their activities. However, the planet also needed adequate defenses in the likely event of a First Order retaliation, which is how the Resistance arrived at Odessen.

Skyscraping mountains and howling winds hid the fact that below these natural giants, lived an active magma flow. The clash of heat and cold in the north pole of the planet created an endless fog that cloaked geothermal vents the Resistance used to power their base. Only the twinkle of small reflections betrayed the fact that the Resistance also used special minerals, which rivaled modern cloaking technology, to conceal their base. The spectacle offered pilots, such as Cade, a brief respite from a galaxy at war before they dived back into their raging conflict.

Cade watched the endless stone formation of the mountains; the chaos and randomness provided a sense of comfort to the weary man.

"What's with me, I get relaxed over the weirdest things" Cade stifled a laugh. "A guy who was partially raised by an astromech but also has an affinity for nature. Truly, I am strangeness personified."

Cade's eyes narrowed when plateaus with smooth surfaces filled his sights, betraying the fact those plateaus were man-made and not natural formations. Cade let out an audible tick, and he shifted his gaze to the other side of the cockpit, the one that didn't have evidence of war

"It's only a matter of time before the First Order reigns destruction down on this world because of the Resistance. That's more beauty lost for eternity, all because we brought war here."

Cade and Snap's squadron flew towards one of the plateaux, which split open, and a bright light streamed out of the crack and cut through the thick night air. A bustling hanger awaited Cade who guided his X-Wing to his designated landing spot.

Cade lowered his X-Wing; a thud signaled he was the ground. R2 popped out his astromech socket and landed just beyond the step ladder that was being pulled up for Cade. Cade grabbed a metal box he kept hidden underneath his seat and descended to R2. He gave R2 the box, who rolled off to place the box in its usual hiding place at the Odessen base.

Cade was tackled to the ground by his favorite Alderaanian assassin.

"Don't you ever do that to me again." Marin squeaked out, showing he was relieved beyond words.

"Wow, didn't know you cared so much." Cade tried to come across as snarky but sounded just as relieved as Marin.

Marin pulled back, looking like he wanted to say something. A blush graced his cheeks, Cade felt his own face grow warm. Cade had no idea why, but he wanted to brush his hand on Marin's face and embrace him. He leaned in closer, and Marin's eyes widened. They both felt time go still, and Cade could feel every heartbeat and breath he was making. Marin looked off to the side before he focused his gaze onto Cade. The sound of a throat clearing interrupted the two. Then Cade noticed a female figure standing awkwardly off to the side.

"Should I give you two lovebirds a room?" she asked, half-amused and half-embarrassed.

Marin jumped off and straightened his officer's uniform, "Rose, I-I-I forgot you were there. I'm just going to be...getting some water."

Marin walked off, leaving Rose and Cade alone.

"Rose, here to chew me out?" Cade asked, already knowing the answer.

"In a minute, but first"—Rose hugged him—"I'm just glad that one of the few people who can stand my weirdness is still alive. If you died, who would listen to my rants about my bosses who say my work deviates from regulations."

"That's what I like about you Rose, you're such a rebel. And you keep the X-Wing settings exactly how I like it," Cade said.

"Well, the control scheme you've implemented is a work of art. I'd be a fool to mess with that, though I'm still not sure how your reflexes can keep up with the response time that occurs thanks to your modifications." Rose glanced at Cade, then nodded at him. Cade raised an eyebrow and she just smirked.

"Let's just call it a family secret." Cade placed a finger on his lips, making a shushing sound.

Rose smiled, but immediately dropped it when she shifted her attention to the smoking X-Wing behind Cade.

"Cade, do you remember our first meeting?" Rose placed a hand on the X-Wing, gently wiping off some smudge.

"Yeah, I remember. I needed someone who wouldn't mess around with my modifications when they repaired the fighter, but also could improve on what I did, someone suggested a young recruit by the name of Rose Tico. All the mechanics were complaining about your behavior, but they couldn't dispute your skill. Didn't take much to convince you…" Cade trailed off.

"Because my bosses complained about you too, said that what you did was far out of regulation. Don't know why they're so mad about that, since we operate outside of Republic law and influence, but what're gonna do. I really wanted to find out what everyone was making a big deal over, I thought that if you had the entire senior leadership up in arms over some modifications then they have to be either hell or, damn good. Good thing that it turned out to be the latter." Rose turned towards Cade with a glint in her eyes.

Cade, knowing what was to come, decided to get her wrath over with. "And you said to me…"

"I get attached to the machines I work on, so if you so much as even scratch this X-Wing I will make your life a living hell. I even told you this after I modified your ship for the Echo's deep-space mission, and you just shrugged and said you'll take good care of her. Does this look like you've taken good care of her?" Rose pointed to the trail of smoke rising out the engine.

"Well, when you say it like that…" Cade tried to speak but was quickly interrupted by Rose inspecting the engine further.

"Found your problem, a melted armor plate seeped into the engine and fired the whole system. That's why your hyperdrive failed, and there was so much smoke in your cockpit. An amateur repair job like this is bound to damage other parts of the ship, Cade!" Rose grabbed a wrench and menacingly approached the object of her ire.

Cade continued to back away from Rose,"Whoa, Rose! Let's not forget you're the best mechanic in the entire Resistance if anyone can fix it's going to be you.", She stopped and looked at the X-Wing like an artist about to do their greatest masterpiece.

"I do love a challenge…" Rose trailed off before she started muttering, "maybe I could flush the melted plate out of the salvageable parts and replace the rest with Jelucani fogstone modifications."

"See, I knew you could do it." Cade patted Rose on the back before running off.

"Hold on, this doesn't mean you're safe. I'm still coming after you." Rose yelled after him, Cade just flashed her thumbs up while he continued to run out of the hanger.

Cade left the hangar and journeyed down crisscrossing hallways throughout, determined to find a shower room as he hadn't bathed since long before the Echo was attacked. He could see some Resistance members off in the distance wrinkle their noses and run in the opposite direction of Cade, adding to his urgency. Finally, Cade found a familiar junction and knew that a shower room was nearby.

He turned the corner to find his aunt surrounded by a group of advisors engaged in a serious conversation. He pressed himself to the wall, hoping that he wouldn't be noticed by the group. They passed by him and, except for Leia, gasped and covered their noses. She just gave him a quick and warm smile before she grabbed the collar of one of her advisors and dragged him away. Cade looked at the ground but met her eyes as a means to convey his gratitude.

Cade gathered himself and entered the shower room. He grabbed a uniform of his size, the strongest soap he could find, and he turned the shower on. Instead of his usual cold, Cade turned the dial to warm. He let the water washdown all the grime and weight he's been carrying since his time of the Echo, and for the first time in three years, actually enjoyed the feeling of having a warm shower. Somewhere in a distant corner of his mind, he could hear Marin laughing at him. But it wasn't humorous laughter, but one filled with an indescribable feeling that made Cade feel lightheaded. He soaked in both the water and Marin's imaginary laugh, his body and mind relaxing.

* * *

**Marin POV**

The minute he found out about the meeting Marin knew he would need help infiltrating it. His boss, Director Caern Adan of Resistance Intelligence, and the rest of Resistance High Command were all in a classified meeting about the intel that the surviving pilots of the Echo's starfighter contingent brought in. Marin had pickpocketed Director Adan's comlink when he left for the bathroom, discovering a redacted meeting scheduled for later in the day.

Anyone might ask Marin why he was committing espionage in the heart of the Resistance, and there's a simple answer to that, he didn't trust them. Not in the traditional sense, but rather, he didn't trust the way that the Resistance would act on the information. As a Rist, he was practically trained from birth to operate in the shadows, to be the best spy and assassin the galaxy had ever seen, so he was the one best qualified to be acting on intelligence. And the intelligence of this size meant big moves for the Resistance, which would involve Cade and he needed to protect him at all cost.

Marin leaned his head against the wall just outside the door to Cade's private quarters, "Why did I tackle him earlier?"

"That was the longest that I have been without Cade near me, I guess I never noticed how used to him I got. Then there was the possibility that he was shot down, that wasn't fun. And when I saw him again, something inside me awakened. I started feeling things about him that I never felt before, and I just acted without thinking." Marin paced the hall, performing his own therapy session.

"None of that matters right now, I just need his help for one side mission." Marin scanned his hand on the door console, opening it to the image of his handprint.

Marin found a bundle of blankets covering a person on the far end of the room, with R2 charging itself right next to the bed. The astromech briefly turned on but went back to charging once it saw that it was just Marin. The spy gently approached the bed and saw Cade sleeping peacefully, making him reconsider asking Cade for help since he never saw the guy sleep like this before.

He turned around, but the sound of shifting blankets made him stop. Marin turned around and saw Cade wide awake, curiously staring at his would-be infiltrator.

"Sorry, didn't mean to wake you," Marin said.

"You never have to apologize, if it's from you, I'm sure it's important." Cade got out of bed and put a shirt on, causing Marin to blush at the sight of his bare chest.

"Um, well, the high-ups in the Resistance are having a meeting and I want to know what's going." Marin tossed Cade a comlink.

"Sure, why not?" Cade followed Marin out of his room.

The two snuck their way up to a ventilation room, with fans swirling around them. A mix of cool air and the sound of metal scraping on metal greeted them as they approached a vent with an open grate. Marin grabbed a bag hidden behind a pillar in the corner of the room and brought out the equipment. He placed a vest on himself, wrapped steel cables around the vest, and handed one end of the cable, along with gloves, to Cade.

"Alright, all you need to do is to hold onto that cable and make sure I don't fall. I'm going to lower myself, and when I'm done I'll signal you to raise me," Marin activated the com on his gauntlet, "Now you'll hear everything I hear."

Cade gave a nod, "Try not to get caught, I would hate having to get a replacement best friend."

"Oh, well now I'm definitely coming back." Marin jumped into the vent, letting the cable tug on his body as it slowed down his descent.

Marin lowered himself at a snail's pace, careful not to touch the walls and make a sound that could alert any guard. He soon found himself approaching a laser grid, designed not to cut but to trigger a security lockdown.

"Guess that means I'm here, time to do some tricks. Thankfully, a little EMP device is exactly what's needed." Marin pulled out a tiny antenna and placed it on a nearby console, deactivating the laser field.

Marin lowered himself down the vent even further, bypassing similar security devices until he arrived at the High Command conference room. The vent Marin was in was pitch black, allowing darkness to cloak him from the eyes down below. A projection table surrounded by metal chairs, with every chair filled with important people to the Resistance.

"Caern Adan, Idrosen Gawat, Caluan Ematt, Hazram Namir, Nien Nunb, Larma D'Acy, Venisa Doza...and those are just the people I can see. I don't have a good angle from where I'm at," Marin whispered into the comlink.

"Got it, just do what you came here to do," Cade responded.

The hologram table started up, projecting an image of an MC-80 cruiser.

"This is the Echo of Hope, one of our few capital ships. And as a few days ago, the latest target of the First Order." Marin recognized the speaker as Leia Organa.

"Juno Eclipse's sacrifice will not be in vain, she gave us the data she managed to send us will turn the tide of the eventual war between the Republic and First Order." Gawat moved the image to that of Captain Eclipse, showing a much younger woman than the one that Marin had seen.

"The only problem is, the data that she gave us is encrypted. And the encryption is based on old Rebel technology, meaning that its an amalgamation of several encryption techniques from various species in the Alliance such as the Mon Cala and the Wookies. This made it a difficult task for the Empire to crack their codes, but it also required the use of a decryption module programmed with all the quirks of each cell's encryption or the data would never be useful for even the Rebels. And I'm sad to say that the decryption module for the Echo went down with the ship, the data we have is useless unless we can find a way to replicate the unique decryption protocols the Echo had," D'Acy explained.

Leia stood up and eyed every person in the room as she explained her plan. "Which is why I've called all of you here. I know a person who employs a master codebreaker, he can crack this encryption. But my contact is affiliated with Crimson Dawn, and they are very dangerous. Their leader, in particular, does not have the best track record when it comes to me. I'm asking for the leaders of the Resistance to vote on whether or not we proceed with my contact in Crimson Dawn."

"This our only way, I say we go for it," Ematt said, followed by the rest of Command.

"Then it's decided, I'll talk to my contact immediately," Leia said.

Marin was about to signal Cade to raise him back up, but then Director Adan stood abruptly up.

"General Organa, there's also the matter on Cerea. We've tracked the Corellian Engineering CEO to an exclusive medical resort on the planet, and they've reported both a Crimson Dawn and First Order presence on the neutral planet. If the two organizations are connected, then it might not be a good idea to get in contact with Crimson Dawn."

"I appreciate the concern, Adan, but trust me. My contact hates the Empire, and the First Order by extension, too much to do business with anybody that has ties to a tyrannical regime. We'll be fine." Leia concluded the meeting, allowing everyone else to leave before her.

Marin signaled for Cade to raise him slowly, allowing Marin the ability to remove all his gadgets that he used to bypass security up to this point. Marin was soon facing Cade, who helped him out the vent and his vest.

"I can't let marauders like Crimson Dawn get their hands on the Echo's data, we have to find a way to get an advantage over those scum otherwise they'll be able to blackmail the Resistance." Marin looked to Cade for any sign of hesitation.

"Obviously I'm coming with you, you're getting in way over your head so I have to come along to make sure you don't die." Cade looked like he was ready to fight the whole galaxy to protect Marin.

"Pack your bags, we're going to Cerea. Crimson Dawn is operating there, and if we investigate a possible connection between them, the First Order, and Corellian Engineering then we can get some blackmail over these pirates."


	7. Chapter 6: The Sith Forge

**34 ABY**  
**Location: Unknown Regions**

**System: Classified**

**Planet: Starkiller Base**

**POV: Aven**

The Retaliation's main hangar bay was devoid of sound; a needle could drop and anyone would hear the ring of it hitting the floor. A squad of stormtroopers stood on either side of a command shuttle at the end of the hangar, fueled and ready for take-off. Standing only a few feet away from the landing ramp, Aven eyed the stormtroopers that had been standing motionless for the past half-hour. He looked back into the shuttle.

Grand General Hux and Grand Admiral Windrider were already on the shuttle but were prevented from taking off by the late arrival of one key person, the Second Sister, a Knight of Ren. Hux had ordered Aven to escort the Knight onto the shuttle, but Aven had other plans. After all, if the Grand Admiral had a Knight on his side then he wouldn't have to listen to Hux anymore. The Knights of Ren had even greater authority than High Command had, not even Hux could argue with their decisions. If, for example, the Second Sister stated that the Grand Admiral acted with her power, then all Hux could do was seethe. Aven just needed to sway the Knight that supporting the Grand Admiral was in her best interests.

"Greetings, on behalf of Grand Admiral—" Aven's throat constricted, bones collapsing onto his airway. It was as if a rancor decided that his neck was its new plaything.

"I care not for pleasantries, tell the Grand Admiral that the next time he does this I will be sending back the messenger in pieces." The Second Sister released her hold and swiftly boarded the shuttle.

Aven spent a few seconds gasping on the floor before he composed himself, brushed his hair and puthis officer's cap back on.

"Knights of Ren," Aven hissed, "Why do they get to operate outside of the chain of command, and they get to do this?! All these types of people do is introduce chaos into the military and kill soldiers on a whim!"

Aven slammed his fist onto the ground, "Grandfather, was it like this in the Old Empire? With Vader and the Inquisitors, you being at their mercy."

He calmly marched onto the shuttle, his clenched fists, and teeth the only sign that could give away his anger. He went to the cockpit and ordered the pilots to take off, then closed the door to the cockpit while he just stood in the hallway taking deep breaths, feeling the jolt of the shuttle moving.

Aven recalled that the Grand Admiral had advised him on what to do if this ever happened. But all he could do was struggle against the tide of emotions that threatened to drown him, the entire world disappearing as Aven broke down.

"A true soldier can control their emotions, preventing them from interfering with a battle. Only when it's the calm between storms when you need to deal with your emotions so it doesn't compromise your ability to fight. Collect yourself, then deal with the problem."

Aven spun around to see the Grand Admiral standing at the entrance to the hallway, arms crossed and face filled with worry. Aven took a step back and felt his brain freeze up at the thought that his mentor had caught him in such an improper state, but had dispensed with his normally cold and calculating demeanor in favor of a more fatherly one.

"Grand Admiral, you saw what happened?" Aven hesitantly looked up from the ground at Windrider.

"No, but I can assume. That was Hux's goal, to put you in the path of the Second Sister and have her either kill or torture you. He's an open book to read, but I could do nothing to stop him because he has higher influence than me," Windrider growled.

The Grand Admiral moved forward and placed his hand on Aven's shoulder. Aven looked deeply into the Admiral's eyes, contemplating his next action. Finally, Aven spoke in a quiet whisper so that only the Admiral heard him.

"I haven't ever felt that helpless, being choked by the Second Sister scared me. That kind of power, both the Force and her rank, no one should be able to do any of it. She goes against everything I know, the military and science. We've always been taught restraint is the key for duty, but the Second Sister doesn't have restraint, she wields something that no one should have, a power that corrupts because she doesn't have to deal with consequences, or if she was even mature enough to be given her position in the first place. You have someone to answer to, you're a responsible person and..." Aven hugged himself, hearing his voice crack to the point where he could no longer speak.

Suddenly, Aven felt himself being pulled into a hug. Aven's mind raced with possibilities until he reached the only logical conclusion. He was being hugged by Grand Admiral Nash Windrider, the man who took Aven under his wing just a year ago.

"I-I-I…w-what..." Aven tried to speak but his mind was still trying to process his current situation.

He had never been hugged before, not by his father and certainly not by his mother. For the first time in his life, Aven felt safe and wanted. Something stirred in his heart, and Aven felt a warmth wash over him. He was loved, finally, he felt loved.

"Every soldier has something they fear, a thing that scares them more than anything else in the galaxy. It's alright to have fears, to be afraid, it can stop us from taking unnecessary risks or motivate us to protect. But the flip side is that fear can stop us from taking the next step in our lives, it can keep us from evolving into the person we're supposed to be. You're not wrong to have fears, but we all have to face what scares us one day. And the first step to conquering those fears is acknowledging them." Nash pulled back and placed his hands on Aven's shoulders.

"Aven, part of being a leader is knowing what your failings are. It takes a great man to realize his faults and to try and overcome them. I've seen so many soldiers fail because their pride prevented them from admitting their mistakes, but as long as you can trust in yourself and others for help, you will turn out to be the finest First Order officer the galaxy has ever known."

Aven felt himself coming back together, like specks of dust falling back into place after a violent storm. He felt solid, whole even, under the watchful gaze of Grand Admiral Nash Windrider. Hetook a deep breath and then stepped back, detaching himself from the surprisingly gentle touch of the man.

"Thank you, Grand Admiral, this means more to me than you know." Aven took a step forward then immediately backed away, still unsure about the Grand Admiral's actions.

Nash smiled, but his expression morphed back into his usual cold self. He straightened his posture, eyes narrowed, and arms stiffly placed at his side.

"Then, Lieutenant, prepare yourself for Starkiller Base." the Grand Admiral marched out of the hallway, leaving Aven both confused and relieved.

Aven went back into the cockpit, looking past the pilots to see an ice planet with a metal equator. And the unmistakable red glow of the planet's core, exposed by the ultimate weapon in existence, created a tint that irritated Aven's brain.

"Radiation from the planet's core," Aven muttered.

"Sir?" one of the pilots questioned.

"Nothing, just make sure our radiation shields are at full strength." Aven left the cockpit, deep in thought.

Aven traveled to the passenger section of the shuttle, finding an entourage of officers and attendants feeding Hux information while the Grand Admiral sat off to the side, motionless. Aven took a seat next to the Grand Admiral, lowering a safety harness, and deciding to not voice his thoughts.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"H-How did you?" Aven shifted away from the Grand Admiral.

"Your walk is off by a half-step, that usually means you're deep in thought. And since you've not spoken, I can only assume your thoughts are something you've decided are too troubling to voice." The Grand Admiral raised an eyebrow, daring Aven to challenge him.

"I'm sorry sir, I know it's not my place to question the decisions of High Command…." Aven trailed off.

"It's alright." The Grand Admiral looked over at the group on the other side of the compartment. "I think Hux is occupied at the moment, and I won't punish you. I am, after all, mentoring you. I'm training you to be the best officer you can be, it wouldn't do anyone any good to eliminate a perspective that could solve a weakness or problem."

"I-I was just thinking that a weapon like Starkiller emits intense radiation, especially if fired. It would create a unique energy signature that can easily be traced, I know Starkiller is under immense protection so I shouldn't be worried about this." Aven stared at the floor, awaiting some kind of reprimand.

Instead, Grand Admiral Windrider spoke softly, "No, you're being correct in worrying. Indeed, Starkiller's greatest strength can also lead to its downfall as it could expose its hiding spot and lead the enemy to a retaliatory attack. Fortunately, someone else with a similar mind has foreseen this kind of problem and has made moves to prevent any inconvenience. There's only one Republic outpost that's close enough and has powerful sensors to detect Starkiller's energy, and they won't be operational for much longer."

The shuttle jumped, with the muffled sound of landing gears hitting metal breaching the compartment, sending all standing officers stumbling around. Aven, Nash, and Hux remained relatively stable, Aven could just hear the sound of Hux rolling his eyes at the action of his subordinates. Hux lifted up his safety harness and made his way swiftly out of the passenger compartment. Aven made a move to help an officer that had fallen during the landing, but the Grand Admiral also calmly, but quickly, made his way out, forcing Aven to follow.

Aven, with two stormtroopers behind him, took his position just behind the Grand Admiral. In front of the Grand Admiral stood two more stormtroopers, guarding Grand General Hux. Their small convoy was waiting on something, though Aven couldn't tell what.

Then the Second Sister and her Raider troopers emerged from the other side of the hallway, she eyed the First Order officers, then walked down the ramp that was placed in between her group and Aven. Even at his current distance, several feet away from the ramp, Aven could feel the biting and merciless wind of Starkiller Base.

Just after the Second Sister started walking down the ramp, Hux waited a few seconds before he signaled the group to move. Aven's feet walked in time with the Grand Admiral and the stormtroopers, the synced crunches of boots the result of training and military discipline. An entire legion of stormtroopers split in two and lined up in perfect fashion facing each other, and three people waited between them.

The man in the center stood at attention, his uniform displaying the badge of a Commandant. To the man's left was a young woman who wore a uniform that was similar to Aven's, complete with the same rank insignia. Aven then shifted his focus to the person on the right, a middle-aged woman dressed in bulky armor, armor that was not typical to any officer in the regular army: an agent from the Security Bureau.

_'A greeting party and they must be all the important people on Starkiller, the command staff. Guess protocol would dictate that they receive guests from High Command like this, '_ Aven thought.

The Second Sister brushed past her greeters, with the man in the center hesitantly reaching out to her before he retracted his hand. Hux stopped the convoy and made a big show of shaking the hand of the man in the center.

"Commandant Arklay, it's good to know that someone of real caliber is guarding the First Order's most prized weapon. The future of not just our soldiers, but a safe and secure galaxy rests with Starkiller, and with you." Hux spun around with his arms outstretched, like a ringmaster at a circus.

"Thank you, Grand General. You honor me with the faith that you have placed on me and my staff." Arklay shifted from one foot to another, unable to look at Hux while he was performing his showmanship.

"Nonsense, it is not faith I have placed on you, but the knowledge that I know where my subordinates should go. As a commanding officer, I simply demonstrate my vast array of skills and insight in selecting the best person for the job." Finally, Hux dropped his arms and returned to a manner befitting a man of status.

"Of course, Grand General. And with that line of thought, I would like to have Lieutenant Xtra escort you to the High Command Conference room, she knows this base as well as I do and can, therefore, get you there the quickest." Arklay gestured for the woman on his left to step forward.

"It is an honor to be in the presence of such esteemed gentlemen, Commandant Arklay speaks very highly of you Grand General." Xtra saluted briskly.

Hux grinned wickedly and Aven flinched. The Grand Admiral saw Aven's reaction and slightly nodded at the young officer.

"For anyone else who is not of High Command, Agent Miranda of the First Order Security Bureau will escort you to your lodgings while on Starkiller." Arklay motioned for a woman dressed in head-to-toe in armor forward.

Agent Miranda regarded her new charges for a moment, then shrugged and turned around. Aven narrowed his eyes and looked to the Grand Admiral, who gave him a quick smile. Aven started marching after the agent but spared a moment to look back at the Grand Admiral, who was already following the Lieutenant in a direction that split off from the path that Agent Miranda was taking. Aven sighed, then started picking up his pace, somewhat eager to get out of the cold of Starkiller Base.

* * *

**POV: Kylo**

Kylo's presence was requested by the Supreme Commander, to be at her meeting with the rest of the High Command. His presence as Master General was requested, it made sense for him to be at the meeting. Though, these kinds of things were always a bore, more so since he was now on Starkiller. There were much more important things like crushing the Resistance that he could be doing. Kylo decided to briefly meditate at his personal quarters before he went to the meeting. It was the best place for him to dwell on the Force, until...

"Second Sister, leave," he ordered.

Kylo's lightsaber flew off his belt, being caught in the Second Sister's hand. She activated it, staring at the unstable blade and then shifting down towards the hilt.

"A tradition for any dark sider is to bleed the crystal of a fallen enemy, instead you chose to bleed your own crystal. Creating this monstrosity." The Second Sister threw the lightsaber into the floor.

"I'm leaving Starkiller and returning to Dromund Kaas, I'll be reporting directly to the Supreme Leader of my experiences in the battle with the Resistance." the Second Sister approached Kylo.

"Why are you telling me this?" Kylo caught the Second Sister's hand, who had reached up to touch his helmet.

"Because I sensed a presence I thought was dead, your cousin, Cade Skywalker. The one whom you claimed died by your hands, the one I saw get impaled by your lightsaber. His death, along with your uncle's, allowed you to claim leadership over the Knights of Ren. If your cousin's still alive, what's to say your uncle is too. It casts you in an unfavorable light, combining this revelation with your lightsaber and this,"—she tapped his helmet—"and you might not be a worthy leader anymore. But that'll be up to the Supreme Leader to decide, until then, I will be your faithful Knight."

A low growl escaped Kylo, causing the Second Sister to chuckle. She brushed past him, intentionally pushing his shoulder out of her way. Kylo clenched his fists, the floor cracking underneath him before he stormed out of the room.

Stormtroopers rushed aside once they saw Kylo's figure march down the hall, officers eyed his lightsaber attached to his belt before they scampered off in the opposite direction. A man who wasn't looking where he was going ran into Kylo, breaking into a kneeling position, trembling as he did so. The man seemed on the verge of screaming, Kylo threw him into a wall with the Force, denting the wall and knocking the man out.

A few minutes later, Kylo arrived at the High Command Conference room. The stormtroopers guarding the entrance nodded at him, then moved aside to allow him into the room. Kylo found Grand Admiral Windrider and Grand General Hux in person, while the rest of High Command were holograms being transmitted from Dromund Kaas, the capital of the First Order.

"Good, now that we're all here we can finally discuss Starkiller Base." Hux looked around expectantly, but all eyes were at the head of the table.

Kylo took his seat at the other end, staring directly at Supreme Commander Rae Sloane, the most powerful person in the entire First Order, second only to the Supreme Leader himself.

Ordinarily, he would not pay attention to meetings such as this one. But with the Supreme Commander present, one of the few people who have direct access to the Supreme Leader, Kylo needed to take extra care to not offend her. Maybe if he played his cards right, she could speak on his behalf with the Supreme Leader. Kylo straightened his posture and looked directly at Hux.

"The Supreme Commander will decide what happens next, not you Armitage," Kylo said.

"Enough, this is High Command, Kylo Ren, not a place for squabbling. As for you, Hux, know your place. There is a chain of command and you must respect it," Sloane regarded Kylo for a second, "We will all give status reports on other operations before we move onto Hux's pet project."

Kylo silently cursed, that was not what Sloane wanted. He felt tempted to use the Force and invade Sloane's mind, find out what he could do to win her over. Though that might present more problems than it would fix, there's no telling if Sloane can resist the Force or not. And if she can, then she'll turn on Kylo for his actions, for now, it's better to wait and see if he could intervene and turn a situation to his advantage.

"Unity Chief, any irregularities to report?" Sloane asked, turning to a middle-aged man on her right.

"Nothing, all mines are reporting in with their usual amount of minerals and supply shipments are all arriving within their scheduled time. Though I am noticing a continued decrease in sector 12 regarding their output, it might be time to relocate them." Eli Vanto handed over a report to Sloane.

"Master General, anything to add?" Sloane again regarded Kylo with an unreadable expression.

"No, none of these matters concern me. I'm only here as a courtesy to you, Supreme Commander." Kylo immediately wanted to smash his head into the table. While his tone was neutral, he wanted to make it clear he was here for the Supreme Commander, His words could be construed as disrespectful.

"Noted. High Marshal, is there anything in our own territory that we should be concerned about?" Sloane gave him a cold glance then shifted her attention to a woman who sat next to Kylo.

"The rebellion on Hays Minor is starting to gain more momentum, though as we've exhausted the planet's natural resources I recommend the withdrawal of all military assets then an orbital bombardment to erase any evidence we were there," Bellava Parnadee said.

"We'll proceed with your recommendation. Shadow Director Isard, you look like you have something to add." an elder woman stood up, catching the attention of the rest of the room.

"Not on the High Marshal's matter, but on an actual pressing matter. Gleb, our former ally, is still in Republic custody. While they might not believe her now when our war starts with the Republic, she will expose critical information to them. I have agents in place to eliminate her, but an overt move like this needs approval from the Supreme Commander." Isard looked to Sloane, her cold gaze doing well to hide her feelings of frustration and jealousy that Kylo sensed.

"Approved, and Ysanne, check your attitude. Primus Instructor, I assume you can correct such personality defects in future stormtroopers." the woman Sloane referred to looked taken aback, eyes darting between Sloane and Isard.

"I-I-I, Supreme Commander, I assure you that our stormtrooper and officer program is up to your standards. No personality defects." Amret Engell avoided the glare of Isard, instead looking to Sloane for support.

"With my work, no such things such as internal squabbles or personality defects will exist. The future of the First Order lies in droids." Rom Moch looked to Kylo for approval on his statement, but Kylo remained impassive.

Clearly this man was of no use to Kylo, in fact, most of High Command held little use for him. All sycophants or followers, all eager to follow their orders and curry favor, the true power of High Command lay with the Supreme Commander. He ignored Mohc, confident that at best the man would get Kylo on the bad side of Sloane.

"Nox General, if you insist that droids are the future of our military, then you must have something substantial to report of the Dark Trooper Project." Sloane gestured for Moch to display something.

Moch slouched in his chair, having been rejected by both Sloane and Kylo, "No, Supreme Commander, it will be another year before the first legion is ready for deployment."

"Then I suggest you coordinate with Grand Moff Vrist,"—Sloane pointed at a Chiss sitting at the mid-section—" his people's scientists can help you and might get this project producing results."

The Chiss just shrugged and handed Mohc a datapad.

"We should skip over Justicar Griss, we don't have any Republic territories for him to discuss, so we can finally talk about the ultimate weapon-" Sloane interrupted Hux with a glare, then she shifted her still irritated gaze over to Frantis Griss.

Kylo interrupted, "If we were to skip over everyone who was useless, then you would be the first one, Hux. All you ever talk about is Starkiller when you have other responsibilities besides bragging. I suggest you stop being a hypocrite and let Justicar Griss speak."

Kylo looked over to observe Sloane's reaction, her mouth twitched slightly. However, that could mean a number of things. She might be irritated that he interrupted her, or she found his exchange with Hux amusing. Either way, it was not enough for Kylo to go on, leaving him exactly where he started before the meeting.

"Supreme Commander, my research into Kijimi suggests any occupation will be difficult as they have no government to control or any kind of infrastructure. I'll draft up more detailed plans on what to do with the world and how we can more effectively implement our policies there and send them over later today," Gross said.

"You see, Hux, the Justicar position is not so useless after all. Your solution to everything is to throw more might at a problem, while Frantis Griss here is coming up with clever solutions, his brain versus your brawn." Sloane got up, arms crossed behind her back, and slowly walked over to Hux, standing just beside him.

"The Supreme Leader doesn't see it that way, he sees my brilliance. Otherwise, he would not have put me in High Command or funded Starkiller Base."

Kylo could see Hux tremble, not a lot, but just enough for a Force user to pick up on.

"Hmmm, I supposed even a rabid cur like yourself can prove useful in the war to come. The Supreme Leader has left the entire operation of Starkiller Base to your discretion, including security and the firing of the base. However, I will be assigning Ozzik Sturn and the Huntsmen as a permanent security detail. Allegiant General Pryde, anything to add?." Sloane looked over to an elderly man who wore a different uniform than anyone else in High Command, one with more crimson streaks across his broad shoulders.

"Yes, I've just received a report that a Knight of Ren was involved in an altercation with Lieutenant Aven Pellaeon. I'm recommending his transfer from Grand Admiral Windrider's staff to one of our refinery facilities on Scarif." Pryde slid a document down to Sloane's chair.

"That won't be necessary, Aven is a key member of my staff and as such, his absence will have severe consequences on many of our naval operations." Windrider stood up and glared at Pryde.

"This alteration surely reflects poorly on you, after all, if such a close confidant is a target by one of our Supreme Leader's enforcers, then there must be something wrong with you. Find someone actually worthy of the trust you place in them, and maybe I can start trusting you," Pryde countered.

"Worthy?! Of course, someone of your stature would say something like that. You've never had to claw your way to power. You were born into a military family, that gave you certain advantages when it comes to rank. Hux is more similar to you, Pryde. Nepotism got you your position. Me, I started off as a TIE fighter pilot, I proved myself time and time again that I was a capable officer. And when I lost everything, Alderaan and my family, I stayed true to the Empire and the First Order. If anyone has to prove their worth it is you, Enric Pryde. Aven is more of an officer than you are, despite his family's status he's had to work for his skill and position. Until the Supreme Commander or Leader states otherwise, Aven is staying with me." Silence descended upon the room after Windrider's outburst, while the Grand Admiral composed himself Kylo stood up.

"As the leader of the Knights of Ren, I have to say that Second Sister's actions do not reflect her victims. If anything, I trust the Supreme Commander's judgment over my own Knights, so that says a lot about the Second Sister and how much faith I have in you, Supreme Commander." Much to Kylo's frustration, Sloane showed no reaction.

"Dismissed," she said.

Sloane deactivated the holograms, allowing herself and the rest of High Command to dissipate, leaving Kylo, Hux, and Windrider the only people left in the room.

Kylo got up, brushing past Hux. He heard the Grand General scoff at him, so he sent Hux flying with a push from the Force. Kylo immediately regretted his action, as word would eventually get back to Sloane and there's no telling how she'll react.

He roared and marched out of the conference room, there was only one place he wanted to be….

* * *

Kylo sat on an obsidian marble bench, head knelt downwards and hands collapsed in tight concentration. Inside a darkened chamber deep within Starkiller Base stood a mobile Sith Forge, powered by the heart of the planet itself. The Forge hummed with life, whispers filled the cave with every flash of light coming from the center of the Forge. Albrekh emerged from the other side of the Forge, with Kylo's helmet in hand.

"When you first came to Snoke, all those years ago, I thought you a weak and emotional boy. Unworthy of the tutelage of the Supreme Leader, and then you came to me with a request for a special helmet. If I'm being honest, I still think you're unworthy, but this helmet is another thing entirely." The Symeong handed Kylo his helmet, still smoking from its experience in the Forge.

Kylo took the helmet and placed it on his head, the audible sound of the helmet locking itself onto him echoing throughout the cave. Fire spilled into his veins like a volcano erupting with the force capable of ending life on a planet thousand times over. The pain simulators were doing their job, this was incredible pain that he never felt before. Kylo bit his tongue, tasting blood, this is what he wanted. What he deserved.

"I followed your specifications to the word, ten times the greater pain than before." Albrekh went back behind the Forge, shortly after the lights and whispering resumed again.

Kylo got up and exited the Forge cave, walking down the dark hallway until he got to the left he used to get down to the Forge. Kylo got onto the lift and activated it, allowing it to take him to the surface. Kylo emerged from the lift in his personal quarters, barren except for a bowl of ash near the head of his bed. Kylo regarded the bowl for a minute, feeling another eruption of pain as his head moved to look directly at it.

Kylo theno noticed a datapad laying on his bed, a note on it indicating it was from the Second Sister. An image sent from an agent on Cerea identified several Resistance operatives on the planet, with one photo of an all too familiar face, Cade.

Kylo stood there for a moment, then he grabbed his lightsaber. He let out a horrific scream and began slashing wildly, tearing up his room but leaving the bowl of ash alone. Well into the night, did Kylo stop slashing. He emerged from his room and lifted the nearest officer by their collar.

"Prepare my ship, we're going hunting!"


	8. Chapter 7: Infiltration on Cerea

**Location: Wild Space**  
**System: Senya System**  
**Planet: Odessen**  
**POV: Cade**

The fog of Odessen's mountains went from being wonderfully mysterious to choking the atmosphere with dread. Cade could tell that nothing about the fog had changed, it was the same as yesterday. No, what changed was Cade himself, but even then Cade couldn't tell what was wrong. It was just, Cade woke up and felt that something was off.

"I have a bad feeling about this." Cade turned towards Marin, leaning against the stone wall.

Marin walked over to the edge of the cliff they were on. He spun around with a twinkle in his eye and while a half-smirk on his face.

Cade gently approached Marin and placed his hands on his shoulders. "Hey, I'm serious. I've been getting bad vibes all day, something's big is about to happen, and it's coming fast. Maybe we should call this whole thing off."

Marin leaned into Cade's touch, "Normally, I would agree with you. You're usually right, but there comes a time when any choice we make has an element of danger in it. And while your instincts say there's something off, mine is telling me that we are on the right track. We have to take the risk of getting hurt to have any chance of beating the First Order. I know you want to protect me, but there's a difference between protection and suffocation. And I let you run off into risky situations all the time, so please, if I mean anything to you, we do this together and accept the consequences as they come."

Cade dropped his head and stepped backed. He braced himself against the stone wall, pushed off the wall, and glared into the distance.

"That's the thing about risks, sometimes you get hurt and sometimes you don't; it's a gamble. Whatever's coming is dangerous, and I'm certain it's going to hurt a lot of people. And I don't want to play games with the people I care about; I've already lost too much. You want me to consider your feelings, but you don't seem to be considering mine," Cade said.

Marin slowly walked over to Cade, a hand partially outstretched. "Cade, I…"

Marin grimaced slightly but followed it up with a nervous smile. He turned back to observe the boulder the sound was emanating from, glancing back at Cade before he returned his attention back to the boulder. Then the hatch itself slid back, revealing a ladder that led into a maintenance tunnel, with a human climbing out of it.

"Poe Dameron, you brought Poe Dameron into this." Cade looked over to Marin, who just shrugged.

"He owed me a favor."

"What's the matter, guys? Up for a little adventure." Poe pulled himself onto the cliff, cocking a full-blown smile.

"Are we sure about this, he seems a bit too enthusiastic. He's supposed to be the Wing Commander of all the squadrons here at the base. Feels a bit suspicious that he would just hop onto a mission like this," Cade whispered.

"Then you don't know Poe that well," Marin whispered back.

"I'm standing right here, but please, keep speaking as if I'm not." Poe sat down on a boulder and placed his chin on his hand, leaning on his left leg.

Marin pulled Cade off to the side. "Look, if Leia trusts him, then he's a good person. So what's the problem?"

"I don't doubt he's a good person. It just seems a little too convenient that we need someone who can get us a transport that can slip away from the base and Poe Dameron swoops in for the rescue," Cade explained.

"He's subtle. He can keep these types of things under wraps. Plus, I'm the one that contacted him. It seems convenient because I knew he had the specific skills we need."

Cade felt his right eye twitch. "Fine, but when things go south, I'm going to say I told you so."

"And I'll probably deserve it, but right now, we won't be going anywhere without Poe." Marin marched over to him.

Cade drowned out their conversation, as he felt his attention being diverted elsewhere. The hairs on his arms stood up, his heart grew cold, and his throat clamped up. And the Force. It was ringing in his head, almost like bells at a funeral. Cade tightened his fists as pebbles began to swirl around his feet. The Force was telling him something, screaming a warning.

Cade suddenly felt cut-off, alone, isolated, he was senseless, devoid of life. Then, he gasped, and then he felt anchored, connected to reality, Cade realized that he was breathing again. The ringing in his head stopping, and he could feel his heart beating again. Cade frowned and looked at Marin, who was still locked in a conversation with Poe.

"Ben…" he whispered.

"Hey Cade, Poe can hotwire us a ship, and fly us to Cerea. Sound good?" Marin asked, eyes not meeting Cade's.

"Yeah, I'm with you all the way."

Marin's eyes widened, then he smiled. A laugh of relief escaping his lips.

"Then let's get started, partner." Marin hooked his arm around Cade's, pulling him close for a hug.

Separating, both turned to Poe with his head tilted down, pretending to focus on the ground. Poe jumped off of his rock and gestured for Marin and Cade to go down the hatch.

"Security's a bit lax at the moment, we're receiving a new shipment of weapons and ships from the Republic. We don't have the manpower to keep up regular patrols and check out what was given to us, so as long as you don't mess up, you can get to the lower levels pretty easily." Poe explained while he climbed down the ladder.

"What about our sensors? They'll detect a ship leaving the base and either contact us or intercept the ship with a squadron of X-Wings. Neither is a good outcome," Cade asked, walking alongside Poe.

"Already covered, I told the guys at the command center I was taking some of the younger pilots out for training in a cargo freighter. All I need is to send my codes and we can leave without suspicion." Poe reached the turbo-lift, pushing a button on the console next to the lift, the lift's doors sliding open.

He casually strolled out of the elevator, not even checking to see if the coast was clear.

Cade reached over and grabbed his arm, "Whoa, what do you think you're doing?"

Poe tugged his arm free, "It's like I said, there are so few guards around that you can just walk into the hanger bay."

"But there are still some guards, meaning we can very well be caught." Cade tried to grab Poe's arm again, only for him to step backward and place his hands on his head while whistling.

Cade let out a low growl, Poe was too far away to hear it but Marin gave him a questioning look.

"He's too cocky, he has a plan and evidence backing him up, but he's acting like what he's doing is foolproof and it's really irritating," Cade responded.

"Funny, the same could be said about you. From an outsider's perspective, you and your instincts can come across as being cocky as you have even less to go on than Poe. But I know you, and I trust you, and I know Poe too, so please, trust him." Marin started walking towards Poe, trailing behind him.

Cade grunted, but otherwise still followed Marin's lead. Rounding the corner, Cade saw Poe sifting through images of ships at a nearby console.

"Ah, here's the ship we're looking for. Knew it had to be here." Poe stepped aside and revealed a cargo freighter whose profile was listed by Intelligence as frequently used.

"Let me get this straight, you didn't know the ship we needed was here, you just assumed. And you plan on using a ship that's been frequently used by spies." Cade gave Poe a confused look.

"Glad you understand." Poe took out a circuit chip and placed it on the console, frying it.

"And now people know someone's broken in, that's just great," Cade said through gritted teeth.

The doors slid open to reveal a massive sprawling hangar with ships of various classes all spaced evenly apart.

Poe gestured to a freighter at the far end of the hanger. "That's our ride, subtle enough to not arouse suspicion from your average First Order inspector, but large enough to fit in on a medical planet like Cerea."

Marin climbed up the ramp and looked at the consoles that lay around the main hold of the ship. "And it's got the latest in Resistance surveillance and communications, perfect for this type of mission."

Poe followed Cade inside, moving past him and towards the cockpit. He laid on his back and removed a panel from the pilot's controls.

"Sorry, couldn't quite get the ignition codes for this ship so I'm going to start up this ship the old fashion way. Hope that's not a problem with you, I know you've been a little suspicious of me." Poe said before he pulled himself further underneath the pilot's controls.

"I don't trust easily, sorry.. And in the grand scheme of things, knowing how to hotwire a ship isn't that big of a deal. Besides, we all have a past, I don't go prying." Cade gave a half-hearted salute and went down into the main hold, finding Marin leaning up against a wall and pointing at a chair.

Cade sighed and went to the chair, leaning back into it once he was sitting down. Marin approached him, with his eyebrows twitiching.

Cade tried to speak but was interrupted by the roar of the engines coming to life. Poe walked down into the hold, hands soaked with grease and a broad smile on his face.

"We are in business." Poe grabbed a nearby rag, wiped his hands on it, and jumped back into the cockpit, "Everybody get in your seats, next stop is Cerea."

Marin's eyes widened, and his hands scrambled to latch onto the seatbelt of Cade's seat. He slammed the belt into the buckle, then ran into the seat next to Cade, repeating the same crazy movements. Marin's white hands gripped the seat so hard Cade was sure that the metal was bending under the pressure.

Cade reached over and took the closest hand into his, startling Marin. Cade gave him a small smile, then the ship rattled a little, and Cade felt Marin grip his hand harder. They both felt the ship move out of the hanger. While Cade relaxed at the thought of finally being on the way, Marin's breathing got louder and louder.

"What's wrong?" Cade squeezed Marin's hand just slightly.

"I don't like taking off, everything just feels like it's closing in, like I'm in a flying coffin. I'll be fine once we leave the atmosphere." Marin shut his eyes tightly.

"Hey, it's alright, I'm here. I'll always be here, whenever you need me, for whatever reason, I'll support you, by your side." Cade felt Marin's grip relax, and his breathing quieted down. His grip was still strong, and his breathing loud, but Marin calmed down if only a little.

"Hey guys, we're leaving Odessen now and I'm about to punch in the hyperspace coordinates," Poe called back to them.

Marin's eyes flew open, and his breathing returned to normal instantly. Then he looked down to see that his hand was interlaced with Cade's. He blushed, but nonetheless removed his hand, though Cade might be imagining things, he thought Marin removed his hand very reluctantly.

* * *

**Location: Mid-Rim**  
**System: Tecave System**  
**Planet: Cerea**  
**City: Asphodar 3**  
**POV: Cade**

Cade watched as Marin sifted through communication channels at a console, displaying several frequencies that Marin was listening in on. Marin knew several popular Crimson Dawn frequencies from a previous assignment the Resistance had him on and had broken the encryption surrounding said frequencies, coupled with the console's ability to narrow down the search to mentions of a specific place, like Cerea, and he was confident that he could get a lead soon. Meanwhile, Poe was off negotiating with a port official, apparently, the planet doesn't like unannounced outsiders.

"Guess that's why the inspector was angry, that, or he doesn't like people who just show up without any notification. Maybe a bit of both," Cade muttered.

The sound of footsteps on metal drew Cade's attention away from Marin and towards the entrance to the hold, Cade moved his hand towards his blaster, gripping it as if his life depended on it. As the footsteps got closer, Cade made his way over to Marin, placing himself between the entrance and his friend.

Poe walked down the stairs into the hold, looking a little weary but otherwise fine. "Well the port inspector is not happy with us, but as long as we pay their steep, steep, fee then we can stay. Oh, and I'm supposed to tell you that the law here requires outsiders to stay within the city, avoid conversations about religion, and we are forbidden from visiting any temples that may be located in Asphodar 3."

Cade let himself drop a little, hand moving off of his pistol. "Don't take it personally, these Cereans just aren't allowed to talk about their religion to anyone but members of their own species. I read a book published by the University of Coruscant that basically said talking about their gods would violate a sacred tenant to their religion. It was a fascinating read. Could hand you the book, if reading is a thing you do."

Poe just shrugged and rolled his eyes.

Suddenly, Marin perked up and pressed the recording button on his console. He leaned in for a few minutes, then pressed the stop button, leaning back and taking off his headphones. He gestured for Poe to come closer, finger hovering above the replay button. As soon as Poe was within a suitable range, Marin pressed the button.

"I hear the civil war on Oba Diah's dying down. The Pykes might be getting back into the Spice Trade."

"Is that why the higher-ups are tying themselves up in knots? Things seem really tense on White Rat."

"Naw, the day the Pykes start muscling in on the spice trade, the Spice Runners of Kijimi will strike back. Oba Diah's glory days are long gone. I'm gonna let you in on a secret, the higher-ups are actually concerned about the First Order. They're starting to encroach on the fringes of the Outer Rim and approach our rivals."

"Oh is that why you're at the medical resort on Cerea? I hear the meeting between Corellian Engineering's CEO and that First Order spy is taking place in a bit. Irene's going to be pissed."

"Quite! Don't you remember to use codenames! Otherwise you know what happens if someone's listening in, and she finds out."

"And now we have a timetable, let's move." Marin went over to a crate and popped open the lid, revealing a stash of pistols, grenades, and sub-machine guns.

Cade selected a handful of grenades, Poe chose a submachine gun, and Marin chose a dual set of pistols. They all hid their weapons in pouches, pockets, and bags. Cade closed the ramp to their ship. Marin went over to a rental shop located just outside the spaceport, throwing over a few credits and reaching over the counter to grab a random key. He walked over to a lot next to the rental store, a horn blared, and, a moment later, a yellow speeder big enough for four people rounded the corner.

Poe approached the speeder, inspecting every inch of the vehicle before looking at Marin with an impressed look. Cade let out a big huff and got into the seat next to Marin, then he gestured for Poe to get into the back, in the farthest seat away from Marin. Marin floored it once Poe got in, the sun was setting and the night was quickly taking a hold of life on the streets, creating a barren and skeleton existence. Then, Cade saw it.

A spectacle light show burst on in the distance, a dance of amazing colors, supported by the dark sky, swirled about in what could only be described as a hurricane. Then Cade saw the heavenly white building that was enriched by the storm of colors and the cosmic night that stood proudly behind it. Even the windows curved and contrasted the sunlight like stone, with a sharp blue circuitry interconnected on the ground next to the angelic building.

"I've read a lot of books and no matter what the genre was, action, mystery, horror, historical, they all agreed that Cerea had the best medical resorts in the entire galaxy. I never understood that until now, but seeing this building, I'm starting to believe that." Cade stood up in the speeder, trying to get a better view of the building that had now captured his attention in a vicious, but artful, trap.

Marin took the speeder into the resort's parking lot, taking a spot as far away from the entrance as possible. Marin got out silently, Poe and Cade followed his lead. He looked down at his gauntlet, pointed it at a camera, then lowered his arm. He marched confidently over to a vent located around the corner of the entrance and placed three circuit patches on it. He typed on his gauntlet, then the patches started burning brightly before the vent popped off its screws and fell down. He gestured for Poe and Cade to come over.

Marin climbed into the vent first, then Poe, then Cade, who grabbed the vent covering and placed it back onto the entrance they created. Cade turned around and crawled towards the others in order to catch up with them, glancing at the walls of the vents which displayed gold circuitry as opposed to the blue ones outside. Along the way, Cade saw glimpses of the services the resort performed; baths laced with the finest minerals in the galaxy, healing chambers that seemed to be placing synthetic tissue over wounds, robotic limbs, bacta chambers, massages that used Aldeeranian honey as lotion, and surgeries that used nano-scalps that didn't even leave scars or open the skin for that matter.

Marin stopped to observe a massage session, his hands curling up into a fist.

He smashed his hand against the vent, startling the people involved in the massage before he started crawling, going at a pace that could beat tauntaun.

"Marin?" Cade whispered up ahead.

"I don't want to talk about it." Marin shot back.

The group continued onwards, passing by a restaurant with only two people in it being served. They spoke so loudly that their voices carried themselves over to the vent.

"Why, I had to work all day and night on my private yacht to afford to come here. But this something I so rightly deserve." The lady speaking took a deep draft of her wine.

"I know what you mean. I had to sell several paintings to the casino at Canto Bight, but there's nothing that I won't sacrifice in order to eat here." The man across from the woman took a cut of his steak.

Cade sensed a massive wave of anger emanating from Marin; it almost felt like he was drowning in anger. Cade reached out with the Force, and he sensed a different kind of anger than what Marin normally radiates. It wasn't aimed at the snobbish attitude of the patrons, but rather, it was something personal. Something to do with…

Marin started crawling with renewed vigor, pulling Cade out of his Force trance. Cade saw that he had reached a vertical shaft up ahead and was pointing up. Marin tossed back two pairs of gloves, one for Cade and the other for Poe, before putting his on and leaping into the shaft, attaching himself to the vent's wall. Poe had already started climbing by the time Cade got his gloves on and was in a position to jump into the shaft, following Marin's lead. Cade jumped into the shaft, grunting as his hands attached to the wall and absorbed all the force of his fall.

Cade had only climbed a few feet before he heard a soft screech above and a sliver of light started pouring into the vent. He started climbing faster, going as far as his arms could reach before shooting up into the next spot his hand attached itself to. He reached an opening in the wall and removed another vent covering. He pulled himself out of the vent, rolling out of the shaft and onto the floor, all without making a sound.

Marin held a finger up to his mouth before he viewed his gauntlet, staring at the screen. He nodded at the rest of the group, letting out a breath of relief.

"This place is the most advanced medical hub in the entire galaxy, as such the price of seeking any treatment here could be used to buy a moon or build an entire fleet. Guess that's why the client list is very short, makes it easy to see if a specific person is here or not. I hacked into the database of this hotel, apparently, the corporate suite has been reserved for a high-level executive. We have to assume this is the Corellian CEO given the information we have right now. Given his reclusive personality, we can assume any meeting between him and anyone else will take place in the suite. Any questions?" Marin took out both his pistols, looking to Poe and Cade to take out their weapons.

"Yeah, why do Cereans have a place like this if they don't like outsiders?" Poe asked.

"It's not that they don't like outsiders, it's just that outsiders represent a potential downfall to their religion. However, Cerea still remains the most advanced medical planet this side of the galaxy and there's money to be made in treatments. So Cerea builds places like this, Citadels that can house outsiders while also giving them the best medicine money can buy, places like Asphodar 3," Cade answered.

"Yeah, the richest in the galaxy come here to enjoy a lifestyle only their money can buy. With their fancy dinners, expensive clothing, and life-saving treatments, this is the best place for extravagance. The. Best. Place. For. The. Greatest. People." Marin's tone changed from a bitter one to roaring in an instant.

Cade took a step back, "Marin…"

Marin snapped his head in the direction of Cade, but upon seeing his reaction, realized his behavior hurt Cade, "Sorry, this place just brings up bad memories for me. Let's just start the plan."

"Okay, one more question. What's the plan?" Poe asked.

Marin looked at Poe for a solid five minutes, then he spoke, "We'll make that up as we go along, for now, we just need to interrupt or prevent whatever meeting this guy has between whomever."

"That's reassuring." Poe armed his sub-machine gun.

Cade looked over to Marin, who placed his hand on Cade's shoulder as a means of comfort. He nodded, and Marin retreated back with a half-smile.

Marin led the group around the corner to find a massive set of wooden doors, with a security pad located on the right wall next to said doors. He gestured for Poe to take the center and for Cade to take the left while Marin went over to the security pad. He had just placed a circuit patch on the pad when the doors flew open and a woman ran out, grabbing Poe's arm and throwing him into the suite.

Time froze for Cade, with the woman in the center of his vision. She wore a backless crimson dress that stopped at her ankles, high heels that looked thin and fragile but were enduring her attack on Poe. Her skin was flawless and she wore no makeup, and her hair was ebony black with the ends curled in a spiral pattern. This woman looked like she was about to attend a nice dinner, not a fight.

Poe crashed into a painting, shattering its glass covering while he fell onto the table beneath it. The woman slipped out of her shoes, flexing her toes on the carpet floor. Marin grabbed his blasters and pointed them at the woman, firing stun bolts at her. She arched back, letting her hands take her weight as her feet left the floor, dodging the bolts. The woman used her hands to launch herself back up, kicking Marin's legs and sending him stumbling back. She then grabbed his ears, hoisted herself over his head and, in what can only be described as a violent red storm, twirled her body around his head before landing behind Marin and pulling his head over her, letting go. Marin crashed into the wall of the hallway, cracking it and the ceiling before he crumbled to the ground.

The woman picked up one of her discarded heels and threw them at Cade, before running at him the moment the shoe left her hand. He shifted to the right, easily dodging the shoe, only to see that the woman was in the air, descending on him with a fist aimed right for his head. He caught the woman's fist and tossed her over his head, turning around to see what would happen to his attacker.

The woman spun in the air before she landed on the tip of her toes, striking up a pose reminiscent of a ballerina. Smirking, she jumped to the wall on her right, using her foot to push herself off that wall towards the adjacent one. Using her momentum, the woman wrapped her thighs around Cade's neck. He stumbled back, suddenly spots were beginning to cloud his vision. Summoning the last of his strength, Cade charged towards the wall in front of him. He slammed the woman into the wall, causing her grip to loosen and for her to slip off. He then picked her up by her neck before throwing her onto the floor.

The woman smashed her head against Cade's, causing him to stumble back. He felt something warm drip down his nose and saw red droplets form on the floor.

"You're good, better than these guys. Unfortunately, as much as I want to dance a bit more, I'm on a tight schedule, so…" she picked up one of Marin's blasters and shot Cade, stunning him.

As Cade crumpled to the ground, he heard the woman pull out a com and speak to someone.

"I'll need you to send a team up to clean this mess. I'm on my way to the meeting right now."


End file.
